Oranges are not the only fruit

Two women embrace. The painting contrasts the orange in the subject title with the lemon that the woman is holding as a symbol of the differences between people's affections. One of the women has a tiny orange on her pendant/chain to highlight the reference in the painting's title.The painting uses the title of Jeanette Winterson's celebrated book. The lemon suggests the possibility of bitterness and love can be fickle but also, can be strong, as suggested by the arrow piercing the rose