Still Life With Fruits 

Corneliu Michailescu painted this still life with oil on canvas. The grapes, abundant and luminous, command our attention. Grapes have been symbols of plenty and celebration since antiquity. In ancient Greece, Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, was often depicted with grapes, embodying the intoxicating joy of life. As Christianity spread, grapes took on a new layer of meaning, representing the blood of Christ and the sacrament of communion. One can see how this symbol has evolved through art history, from the Bacchic scenes of Roman mosaics to the opulent still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age. Each era infused the grape with its own cultural and emotional charge, yet the underlying theme of abundance, fertility, and transformation remains. Michailescu’s grapes resonate on a subconscious level, reminding us of the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Just as grapes are harvested and transformed into wine, so too do our experiences shape and alter us.