Pineapple Cultural icon of Luxury

Description

I was initially drawn to painting the pineapple because of its fascinating shape and colours, which I wanted to capture.  Pineapple is used in the famous cocktail ‘Piña Colada’. I enjoy placing pineapple pieces on a ‘Hawaiian Pizza ’, and I love ‘pineapple fritters’ with battered fish.  In Yeppoon, in Central Queensland, the locals have an annual pineapple festival to celebrate this local produce.

There is archaeological evidence that this enduring fruit dates from 1200 to 800 BC in Peru, South America and the fruit has been cultivated for many centuries.  During the 17^th century, the plant made its way to Europe, where it became a cultural icon of luxury.  The pineapple was used as a centrepiece at grand feasts and social gatherings and was a symbol of wealth (Wikipedia.org.au).  In the Philippines, there is a jelly dessert known as ‘Nata de Pina’ and pineapple fibres are used in native weaving.