Object Study
BANANAS
Being the world's third most consumed fruit, bananas are an icon in both taste and shape. Their unique curvy structure with two rough ends is distinguishable even when drawn from different angles, which definitely makes it one of a kind.
From viewing bananas, one can come to a conclusion that they are never without tear as they always seem to be covered in bruises (brown spots). This is because the spots indicate the ripeness of the banana, where the more of it present means more antioxidants provided by the banana.
*antioxidants are natural substances helpful against preventing cell damage in the body
Evolution of the Banana
When bananas were first cultivated in the Papua New Guinea region, they were small, stocky and filled with seeds. However, through centuries of cross breeding, modification and evolution, bananas today have become larger, smoother and seedless.
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As famous as it is, 5 BILLION perfectly edible bananas are thrown away each year in America alone and 1.4 MILLION bananas are thrashed in the UK everyday.
Banana against a wooden tile.
Shade and shadow formed by light.
Bananas are more regulated than weapons in the international trade, which is very concerning. This sketch is meant to show the irony.
Bananas in Art History
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Throughout the early course of art history, bananas symbolized exactly what they were: a fruit. In Paul Gauguin's The Meal, the bananas are one of many fruits on the table about to be eaten and in Giorgio de Chirico's The Uncertainty of the Poet, the bananas were included for their beauty. As times progress, the symbolism of the banana became quite sexual in that it is now often symbolized as the male genitalia. For instance, in the works of the Polish artist Natalia LL where she ate bananas in a series of photographs.
The figure of a banana made from repetition with the word BANANA(S).