Strangely Fruitful (Ltd.)

Strangely Fruitful by Edwin Lester

The Perspective:

 I heard through a certain vine, that there were some not so kind.  Stories tell of how they hung many out to dry.  Generations struggled yet still we got by.  Swinging in that heat, over time our fruit became sweet.  Became wise.  To their surprise, our now aged raisins improvised.  Strange to them, we capitalized on given time and reseeded to reproduced.  To become a sweeter, wiser, race of abundant delicious fruit. 

• A carved hand from the tree of humanity.  The color tells you who it is.

• A noose made of vine.  Shown are the faces of those who contributed to their careers making it possible for newer generations to achieve greatness.

• The title “Strangely Fruitful” is written in the vines.

• The umbilical cord of new growth is attached to the infant.

• The faces in the grapes are as follows: 

• Mahalia Jackson

• Emmitt Till

• Ida B. Wells

• Shirley Chisholm

• Nina Simone

• Jessie Owens

• Paul Robeson

• Red Foxx

• M. L. King Jr.

• Billie Holiday

• Frederick Douglass

• Harriet Tubman

• Langston Hughes

• Rosa Parks

• The artist, Edwin Lester

The inspiration for the painting came from a song entitled "Strange Fruit"... with a positive spin.

“Strange Fruit” is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939.  Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol, as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans.  Such lynchings had occurred chiefly in the South, but also in all other regions of the United States as well.

Details:

• Limited edition

• 1200 in edition

• Image size: 18 x 35.

• NOTE:  This item is an unframed lithograph. The framed picture is shown in a decorative scene to show how beautiful the piece is when matted and framed.