Story behind the art of Beatrice Bergemont
28th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art & Garden Center
Pommes D'Api
Malus communis
The pomme d’Api is one of the oldest varieties of apples, said to date from Roman times. Some researchers contend that Appius Claudius, the Roman censor who built the Appian Way in the third century BCE, brought the apple to France. But most French botanists believe it originated in the ancient Forest of Api in Brittany.
It is a small “winter” apple and when fully ripe has bright red cheeks on a pale green-yellow background. This apple ripens in November, keeps well even at room temperature, and is often used for Christmas decorations. A fancy dessert apple, it is highly aromatic and makes delicious cider. Back in time, the ladies of the king’s court would carry the small apple in their purses for use as a breath freshener.
In fall 2024, I had the opportunity to get some cuttings from a pomme d’Api tree in an heirloom apple orchard in Nova Scotia, Canada. The name pomme d’Api brought back a lot of memories from my childhood when I spent my summer vacation on my grandparents’ farm in Brittany. I still remember the old apple tree growing in their backyard loaded with tiny fruits that were never ripe during the summer and tasted terribly when eaten green. Pomme d’Api is also the name of a French nursery rhyme “Pomme de Reinette et Pomme d’Api” that all children know by heart.
I was very excited to illustrate this variety of apple, and the challenge was to combine the different elements to create a pleasing composition. The light of the studio where I started the composition was excellent and allowed me to take good reference photos I could use when I returned home. When satisfied with the composition, I did my color tests and started to paint the fruits making sure I captured all the highlights, reflected lights, and tiny details. I paid close attention to keeping the colors clean when applying reds and greens. The leaves on the right were bathed in light and were yellower than the ones on the left behind the cluster of apples.
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