This is one of my earliest paintings for which I still have an image, dating back to 1984. It’s probably one of my first attempts at painting a still-life, too. I remember the occasion: I had just returned from a trip to San Francisco, where I tasted my first persimmon fruit. I was struck by its unique flavor – both tangy and acrid – that stuck with me. So did the positive associations I had with that trip, in which both the Pacific coast and young love had captured my 23-year-old heart. So when I saw a persimmon for sale in my local grocery store, I grabbed it and made it the subject of this painting.

I can’t recall what kind of paint I was using at the time . . . either gouache or acrylics. I was terrified of oils back then, and disliked canvas. Regardless, this was not a bad start for a young artist! Deeply inspired by Cezanne, I wanted to breathe life into ordinary objects the way he did, and transform them into something magical. Cezanne shocked the Paris art world and revolutionized modern art with his still-lifes. I also admired his ability to render objects in space without resorting to photorealism. To convey a sense of depth and fullness – what one painting instructor in college called “plasticity” – while also retaining a painterly quality, with visible brush strokes – is quite challenging. Over forty years later, I still haven’t mastered it. And still have reproductions of paintings by Cezanne in strategic places on my walls, that my eyes might drink their aliveness while putting away laundry or printing something out.

My long-ago persimmon fruit was probably over-ripe, and looks a bit mushy and vague in this painting, but I remember feeling quite proud of the knife and its shadow, and the way it crosses over the shallow space above the plate. The background, too, recedes nicely into space, and looks like fabric. Such small accomplishments meant so much to me at the time, as more often than not I felt completely lost and frustrated while trying to depict anything. So many of my early paintings failed – but truly, success is built on failure. Something compelled me to keep going.

A good week to all!

D. Yael Bernhard

https://dyaelbernhard.com

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Persimmon On A Plate