Katherine Jacobson – Sweet Fruit

I chose to work with inking pens and alcohol markers, as the vivid ink of the markers contrasts with both the monochromatic color scheme and the lack of expression on the boy in the center as he stands in a pool of red. This, paired with cleaner lines and simpler shading, creates a sense of “otherness” that does not fit in with the chaotic background full of clashing reds and blues. As he reaches for the “fruit”, the shadows dragging him back and the multitude of eyes staring at him critically imply that picking it is not a wise decision. But he is undisturbed. “Sweet Fruit” is a depiction of self-consumption, an attempt to banish the darkness of one’s own humanity by succumbing to a perfect, unblemished ideal. By eating the “fruit”, perhaps this darkness will disappear; it is simply too tempting to ignore such an opportunity. However, everything else that makes him human–joy, pain, sorrow, hope, love–will disappear as well. The subconscious, represented by the dark shadows in this piece, knows this and tries to prevent it. After all, this “idealized self” the monochromatic boy represents is nothing more than an empty husk masquerading as a human, an invader in this space. By giving into this shell, the boy may become more “perfect”. But, as a result, he will be incomplete.