Como diseñador gráfico e ilustrador la búsqueda de referencias visuales es una tarea cotidiana y mis carpetas de inspiración suelen estar llenas de imágenes. Pero más allá de ver el proceso creativo como un estado místico donde la inspiración divina cae del cielo y una luz dorada te toca, me gusta la búsqueda de información y descubrir referencias en los elementos más cotidianos./ As a graphic designer and illustrator, the search for visual references is a daily task and my inspirational folders are usually full of images. But beyond seeing the creative process as a mystical state where divine inspiration falls from the sky and a golden light touches you, I like to search for information and discover references in the most common elements, like fruits…
🍎 EAT YOUR FRUITS 🍊
Hace unos meses mientras buscaba referencias para un trabajo me di cuenta de que las frutas de mi cocina están ahora por todos lados como un elemento estético. Si echas un vistazo a tu alrededor (por alrededor quiero decir tu teléfono móvil) te darás cuenta de que lo mismo encuentras esas frutas no sólo en el mercado, sino también en editoriales, colecciones de ropa y textiles, piezas de decoración, ilustraciones y sobre todo en Instagram, donde los fotografiados aparecen sosteniendo manzanas e higos en poses tan casuales que harían ver al “Niño con un cesto de frutas” de Caravaggio como un principiante./ A few months ago while looking for references for a commission I realized that the fruits of my kitchen are now everywhere as an aesthetic element. If you take a look around you (by around you, I mean your phone) you’ll realize you can find those fruits beyond your kitchen: editorials, clothes and textile collections, decoration pieces, illustrations and of course Instagram, where people appear holding apples and figs in such casual poses, trying to emmulate Caravaggio’s “Boy with a basket of fruit”.
📔 A LITTLE BIT OF ART HISTORY 📔
Basta un vistazo en internet para confirmar que tu influencer favorito no fue el primero en decidirse a fotografiar sus frutas al lado de un bolso de piel. La historia del arte muestra a las frutas en diferentes formatos, etapas y civilizaciones: desde los habitantes ricos de la Antigua Roma donde una cantidad de comida abundante representaba hospitalidad para un invitado de honor, pasando por el Renacimiento donde rebosaban bodegones y muchas frutas eran utilizadas como un símbolo religioso hasta llegar a los siglos XX y XXI donde corrientes artísticas menos realistas y abstractas (impresionismo, surrealismo, cubismo, etc.) tomaban a las frutas como elementos más conceptuales que buscaban transmitir la emoción poética del artista./ It takes a quick look on the internet to confirm that your favorite influencer was not the first to decide to photograph a bunch of fruits next to a leather bag. The history of art shows fruits in different formats, stages and civilizations: from the rich inhabitants of Ancient Rome where an abundant amount of food represented hospitality for a guest of honor, passing through the Renaissance where still life painting abounded and many fruits were used as a religious symbol and the twentieth and twenty-first centuries where less realistic and abstract artistic trends (impressionism, surrealism, cubism, etc.) took fruits as more conceptual elements that sought to convey the poetic emotion of the artist.
En pocas palabras esto es una confirmación de que las modas y los recursos estéticos siempre vuelven pero en nuevos envases y formatos, adaptándose a los criterios propios de cada generación. En lugar de visualizar un cuadro para un convento de La Toscana, tenemos nuestra cortina con estampado de limones en casa./ In a nutshell, this is a confirmation that trends and aesthetic resources always come back but in new packaging and formats, adapting to the criteria of each generation. Instead of visualizing a picture for a convent in Tuscany, we have our curtain with a lemon print at home.
Las frutas, como la vida humana tienen un proceso y a través de sus cambios se puede hacer una analogía de la existencia humana: mientras que la fruta fresca representa vitalidad y abundancia, la fruta más pocha se asocia con la mortalidad. En el Renacimiento por ejemplo, se utilizaban para hablar de las estaciones del año o del paso del tiempo si se mostraban frutas en descomposición. Algunas frutas en específico han adquirido diferentes significados a lo largo del tiempo, moldeados por las mitos y leyendas de cada cultura: las naranjas como fecundidad, las uvas como lujuria, las granadas como prosperidad divina o las manzanas como juventud y deseo (más en ESTE blog)./ Fruits, like human life, have a process and through their changes we can make an analogy of human existence: while fresh fruits represent vitality and abundance, rotten fruits are associated with mortality. In the Renaissance for example, they were used to talk about the season of the year or the passage of time. Some specific fruits have acquired different meanings over time, shaped by the myths and legends of each culture: oranges as fertility, grapes as lust, pomegranates as divine prosperity or apples as youth and desire (more on THIS blog).
🕔 NOWADAYS 🕔
¿Y qué pinta ese kilo de naranjas en tantos feeds de Instagram y campañas de moda?/ And why that kilo of oranges is featured on many Instagram feeds and fashion campaigns?
Moodboard by Hey Fungi. Images Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio “Boy with a basket of fruit” (1593) + Loewe SS18 Campaign by Steve Maisel + René Magritte “Son of a man” (1964) + @cubicle + @newbottega
Casi lo mismo, pero en lenguaje para millennials, porque digamos que algunos alimentos son más importantes para nuestra generación que para la de nuestros antepasados, ¿verdad, aguacate? Si anteriormente los bodegones de frutas se acompañaban con flores, licores y otros elementos de la época para representar status, hoy tenemos lo mismo pero en un formato donde fotografiamos los zapatos de la temporada con el alimento que mejor combine, todo con el fin de establecer un contexto determinado de espacio y tiempo aunque ni nos demos cuenta…. ah, y de paso generar unos cuantos likes, ¿por qué no?/ Almost the same, but in language for millennials, because let’s say some foods are more important for our generation than for our ancestors… right, avocado? It previously fruits featured on still life paintings were accompanied with flowers, liquors and other elements of the time to represent status, today we have the same thing but in a format where we photograph the shoes of the season with the food that can make a good #content, all in order to establish a specific context of space and time even if we don’t realize…
Es hora de jugar con tu comida y yo estoy siempre a favor de encontrar referencias e inspiración en los objetos más cotidianos, porque a diferencia de una bolsa baguette de Fendi algo que si me puedo costear es una bolsa de manzanas./ It’s time to play with your food and I am always in favor of finding references and inspiration in everyday objects, because unlike a Fendi baguette bag, something that I can afford is a bag of apples.
Ah this is so true. I too am a graphic designer and yes inspiration does not just pop in to your head as most people think. As you probably know being a graphic designer you have to have skills on many levels. You have to have ideas and like we stated they don’t just pop in to your head–it is a process. You have to have artistic talent and be able to come up with ideas and concepts you also have to produce them as well. And you have to have tech skills and master multiple applications at a high level.
So yes design is hard work lol
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thanks for stopping by Allie!
Yes, I agree with you, graphic design requieres a lot of skills, but I think beyond knowing how software and techniques works there is an importance in the way we have to do research in order to develop a good result, , as you mentioned, all the skills related with concepts and ideas.
Best regards!
Such an interesting topic.
I never thought fruits could be so inspiring and now I’m thinking yeah in my wardrobe I have so many prints with fruits on it : cherries, bananas, lemons, oranges…
And recently I got inspired by a fabric with strawberries print on it.
And sometimes when I cut a fruit in half I’m like : ” Wow that’s beautiful “.
So yeah this topic is now really talking to me. I always love to read your reflexion. It’s always so interesting.
And I’m so in love with your last sentence : ” unlike a Fendi baguette bag, something that I can afford is a bag of apples ” .
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
I love when you said ” look around you and by that I mean look at your phones”….because we do spend a lot of time on our phones, don’t we? And fruit has been trending on internet. I’m wearing a cherry print dress at the moments and now that I think of it, I have another cherry print dress. I love fruits, I love to eat them and I like to wear fruit prints. I noticed that posing with the fruit is now a trend but as you pointed out, this trend is nothing new. Artist have been painting fruits for a long time. Interesting how fruit is often a poetic symbol. Eve took a bit of an apple, not of some vegetable. Very interesting article Pablo and I really like your art! I think being inspired by fruit is wonderful.
Thanks for stopping by Ivana! Your feedback is always welcomed and it means a lot to me!
Thanks for your lovely comment, Margot!
Let’s take advantage of fruits, anyway I think this trend will last for many years 🙂
That’s really cool, I haven’t seen fruit used this way before! I hope you’re well and having a lovely October so far!
Raindrops of Sapphire
Thank you for visiting, I bet you have seen them 😉
Hey Pablo, how you doin’? Hope everything’s great!
It’s always a pleasure and an inspiration to read your post, and, as usual, you’re so right: really fruits are a great aesthetic inspiration!
You really have a “always working” mind!^^
Aside all the sides you’ve talked about, all very interesting and totally agreeble, fruits are colorful and seasonal, so really perfect for photography and, above all, for socials!
Think about pineapples for summer, chestnuts and apples for fall, oranges for vinter and strawberries for spring, with just an element you can have a pic that talk of a season, create nice color contrasts and… it’s food so everybody loves it!^^
I really liked your reflexions about this topics, you are always a good font of inspirations to me, my friend!
XO
S
https://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.com
Hey Silvia! I’m doing well, hope everything is going right with you 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment, it means the world to me 🙂 And I’m glad you enjoyed the content in this article.
Best!
¡Me encantó esta publicación! Me acuerdo cuando la piña estaba en todas partes, lámparas, bolsos y hasta en los cabellos de los 90s kids.
Justo estoy en medio de un trabajo para un campaña donde el proceso de nuestro producto es una fruta entonces voy a tratar de investigar un poco más con lo que nos compartiste para darle mayor contexto y significado a nuestra idea.
¡Un abrazo enorme Pablo!
B
http://www.talkandtypo.com
Bibi, es refrescante y bonito leer tus opiniones 🙂
Espero ver contenido en talk and typo muy pronto!
Esta genial el post!! Las fotos son super chulas.
Un saludo.
NEW POST!! NUEVO POST!!:http://www.adrianosle.com/2019/10/lookbook-giambattista-valli-x-h.html
Hey Fungi!
Omg yessss fruits are everywhere 🙂 I love seeing photos on instagram with fruits. I feel like they make the photos more youthful and healthy. They’re a great prop!
I’m also guilty of taking photos with fruits. Probably should eat them more often than just taking photos. haha
Wishing you a happy weekend!
http://www.fashionradi.com
Hey Radi, thanks for your comment 🙂 Don’t feel guilty about taking pictures with fruits, they are the best prop and you can afford a lot of those cool props for just a few dollars
I’ve always been fascinated by fruit aesthetics! The colors and shapes are so pretty
http://www.prettyinleather.net
Yes, they are definitely a good aesthetic resource *___*
Pablooo que gusto leerte, sin duda de mis blogs y blogger favorito, Por cierto ame el post es super cierto sobre todo eso que dices que desde siempre se ha tenido una vision de las frutas en nuestras vidas, cuantos bodegones no se han hecho!… Gracias por pasarte por mi blog.
Un abrazo desde Mexico
Lizza
Hola Lizza! Qué bonito comentario, me da gusto que a pesar del tiempo y de los años sigamos por aquí 🙂
Hey Fungi!
Great post, Fungi! Your illustration and collages are so beautiful and lovely!
I just really wanted a Valentino bag, but I didn’t have enough budget for it because I purchased two pair of shoes from Tory Burch.
Your article saved me, so I could know that I didn’t need it.
Thank you so much!!
I would love to take a picture with fruits at Tokyo Fashion Collection this week <3
akiko
¡Que bonito es leer a bloggers que si bloguean y que no solo postean fotos!
Sin duda las frutas millenial son el durazno (después de Call me by your name) y el aguacate (ciertamente fruta no es, pero ya es onmipresente)…. Como que el tema frutal va y vuelve, no? Siempre está presente, quien diría que las fondas mexicanas y sus manteles frutales/florales fueron los verdaderos visionarios.
Hey Akiko, hope you’re doing great!
Thanks for the compliments ❤️ Don’t forget to bring your fruits to the photoshoot! They will the best prop 🙂
¡Que bonito es leer a bloggers que si bloguean y que no solo postean fotos!
Sin duda las frutas millenial son el durazno (después de Call me by your name) y el aguacate (ciertamente fruta no es, pero ya es onmipresente)…. Como que el tema frutal va y vuelve, no? Siempre está presente, quien diría que las fondas mexicanas y sus manteles frutales/florales fueron los verdaderos visionarios.
Ay Adán, te agradezco infinitamente que te pases a visitar y a leer ❤️
Sin duda los millennials estamos llevando la canasta básica al mundo de lo instagrammeable, me voy a apoderar de los manteles de fondas mexicanas jaja
First of all I am somehow embarassed to come here after some time because I don’t know. I just really kind of stopped talking to a lot of people online or maybe I was just being a drama queen, which I still am. lol
Lo siento amigo. You have a loca amiga from Filipinas. 😀
Anyway, so love to be on your space. You know that. Your works always inspire me -you now, your art, blog, and words. This is such a joy to read as always. And what an apt moment for me to practice painting still life fruits. hehe I love how you touched on the connotation of fruits in literature. I also enjoyed reading the link you’ve recommended by Mitchell. Sorry again. I’ll try to be more active. I don’t know if I’ll be active again on Instagram next year, but who knows. Now that you’ve talked so well about fruits as aesthetics, Imma go buy a sack of avocados. Ciao! ops they’re not in season rn in Filipinas so maybe I’ll go for something else. teeeheee
love lots,
Tin