Springtime 

Curator: Looking at Emile Vernon’s oil painting, titled “Springtime,” I’m immediately struck by the figure’s almost saccharine sweetness. It’s the kind of image that graced a thousand biscuit tins. Editor: Yes, it has that sentimental charm. I think that comes, in part, from Vernon's confident employment of soft lighting. Her strawberry-blonde curls are radiant in it. It almost creates a halo effect, and yet, the image doesn’t feel overly precious to me. What do you make of that tension? Curator: That tension stems from her direct gaze, she acknowledges us and pulls the viewer into a shared moment of appreciating nature’s bloom. Also, the apron grounds her to a daily life in proximity to land, rather than idealized form. It's an interesting tension between idealization and realism. The hat acts like a solar symbol, crowning her as a representation of life, as the bearer of gifts. She seems poised between worlds of innocence and mature wisdom. Editor: Precisely! I get that tension. This feels very connected to earlier depictions of idealized pastoral figures and allegories of the season. I see echoes of that here, definitely, and it gives me, admittedly, mixed feelings. It feels familiar. I have been trained to look past these works, because, well, pretty women aren't the vanguard of representation. But looking closer...she's rather amazing isn't she? I'm thinking maybe this isn't simple pastoral fluff. What about the context of its production; what do we know of Emile Vernon and the world this painting arose from? Curator: Little is certain about his personal history, though what remains from his works places Vernon as one among the Post-Impressionists who frequently walked the tightrope between sentimentality and sincerity. The floral abundance woven into the background connects this “Springtime” with a wider historical motif: “Flora,” or allegorical personifications of flowering or fecundity. Editor: I can definitely appreciate the historical resonance, it is right there, coded into the symbols, but it feels playful rather than stuffy. I find that lightness rather liberating. Curator: Absolutely. Considering the weight of such imagery from earlier eras, to witness its continued influence feels quite vital to cultural continuity. It reminds us we exist within these echoes of historical symbolisms. Editor: This image reminds us of our complex and perhaps somewhat unconscious relationship to symbolism as something alive and not merely 'historical.' Well, that's something to carry with me after today. Curator: Indeed, a lovely way to view Vernon’s work; “Springtime” renews within us.