Sold 

Curator: We’re looking now at Robert Brackman's still life, entitled "Sold," an oil painting capturing six green pears arranged on a dark ledge. The realism is striking, but muted somehow. Editor: Yes, I see it too. Those pears, all nestled together… there’s something a little somber about them despite their plumpness and juicy promise. The paint handling, the slight blurring of the edges, gives them a sense of melancholy. I wonder why Brackman named it "Sold"? Curator: The symbolism of the pear has a rich history. Often it stands for abundance, fruitfulness, even the promise of immortality in certain contexts. The clustering, their imperfect skins... might speak to the beauty found in the everyday. However, 'sold', introduces an immediate notion of transactional exchange. Editor: Perhaps these pears represent something more significant that has been bartered away. The fact that it is a still-life painting in oil-paint gives an incredible significance and power to the simple rendering of this table-top of fruit. Oil lends itself to luscious, tactile textures and would draw focus onto the subjects portrayed, elevating the pears themselves into something much more significant than the subject would normally hold. Curator: Indeed. There's an almost palpable tension between the seemingly innocent domestic scene and the loaded title. This creates, I think, a moment of self-reflection within the viewer about value and, what are we trading? Perhaps also, how value judgements in the past can often differ widely from present ideas. Editor: Considering the likely process behind its creation – from growing the pears to painting them – reveals layers of work obscured beneath a veneer of bourgeois appeal. The subtle shifts in hue that bring each pear into sharp relief really add to this illusion. Curator: A fascinating point to conclude on, it is clear the composition reveals an introspective contemplation on the cost of ownership, where abundance is coupled with subtle reminders of something bartered. Editor: Definitely, the subdued colours and thoughtful composition elevate the humble pear into a powerful vehicle of social commentary about human endeavour.