Study for "Autumn Sun" 1905

Frantisek Kupka created this study for "Autumn Sun" with brown pencil, ink and watercolor on paper. Three female figures stand beneath a laden tree, echoing the classical motif of the Three Graces, or even the Hesperides guarding the golden apples. These archetypes, rooted in antiquity, reappear through art history, embodying ideals of beauty, charm, and abundance. Yet Kupka infuses them with a modern sensibility. The fruit-laden branches recall not only the classical Garden of Hesperides, but the Christian story of the Garden of Eden. This primal scene speaks to our subconscious desires and fears, an eternal return to innocence and the fall. The motif of the apple is not linear, but cyclical, resurfacing through history. In each iteration, it is charged with new meanings, reflecting the complex interplay between memory, culture, and the enduring power of symbols.