Pineapples.

Description

This is my second pencil drawing.

It dates back to my summer holidays in 1988.

These are fruits with a curious appearance, a generous taste and rich in properties.

It is well known that they are good, that they are good for you, but that the pineapple is also a symbol of welcome and is full of meanings that go far beyond the table, is a story to be told.

It is not uncommon to find pineapples at the entrances of stately homes, as an architectural element of fountains or in hotel advertising. However, the symbol of the pineapple varies depending on whether you are on this side or the other of the Atlantic Ocean and its history is based on rather plausible legends.

The most fascinating stories linked to this fruit are those that have made it a symbol of hospitality and which were born overseas. It is said that captains returning from long sea expeditions used to skewer one of these fruits at the entrance to their homes. In this way they signaled their return from their adventure, inviting friends and acquaintances to share the joy of the moment.

From there, especially in the areas corresponding to the first European colonies in the territory of North America, the pineapple symbol began to proliferate as a bas-relief on the jambs of the entrance gates of estates and crops, on the doors of the entrance doors, as the terminal of the handrails of the stairs, on the columns of four-poster beds or simply, in the form of fresh fruit, as a centerpiece during the holidays.

Although the symbolism of the pineapple has a thousand facets, the universally shared meaning is precisely the one that has made this fruit a symbol of welcome.

I hope that it was, albeit unconsciously, a good omen for my drawing activity.