Touring the Uffizi in Florence through the eyes of an artist
or a horticulturist can change every detail. A painter might see the brush
strokes that define a generation or the different array of colors defining a
single millimeter of canvas. A sculptor sees inches of time dedicated to
bringing marble to life. A horticulture student observes the flowers, vines,
fruits, and vegetables speckled throughout the artwork. One mere fruit can
reflect upon ideas and concepts without words; pomegranates were a sign of
fertility and abundance. A few paintings show baby Jesus holding a pomegranate
as a sign of eternal life and rebirth. Caravaggio showed his skill as an artist
in his famous Bacchus depicting an
unidealized bowl of fruit and a man half dazed from his cup of wine. The fruit
seems to be in an elegant disarray as grape leaves turn yellow from lack of
potassium, a pomegranate splits open, and figs bruise to slowly rot. It was
amazing to walk around the gallery and see more than complementary colors mixing
together to please the eye. Each artist meticulously picked different
vegetation to convey a message. The laurel headdresses brought a smile to my
face as I passed by, for the beauty but also for the reminder of my impending
graduation at the end of summer. In ancient Greece, it was a tradition to grant
the victor of an event with a laurel headdress. While I may not have won an ancient
Greek Olympic race, graduating from Texas A&M is a victory that should be
awarded with a laurel diploma.
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