Gilded Harvest

by Igor Zenin · 2008

A cluster of small red and gold crab apples nestles inside a fan of oversized maple leaves rendered in gilded, metallic gold, their veins and torn edges catching the light like hammered foil. The dark background lets the gold do all the work, each leaf glowing as if dipped rather than colored. Real fruit sits at the center of an unreal frame, ordinary orchard clippings elevated into something closer to jewelry. Gilded Harvest treats a handful of apples as worth a metalwork setting.