A Red Heart V presents a more harrowing angle to the plump, juicy fruit in A Red Heart and Philitopia. Lying on the edge of a table, a strawberry rests in a red pool that trickles in a single stream along the side of a tablecloth. Seeds begin to blacken, as leaves wilt over its body. Pictured as though in the early stages of decay, the bleeding strawberry seems to warn its viewer against the overripening of desires. Like the fruit saved beyond its edible state, the passions of the heart must be cultivated and acted upon before consuming the desiring individual.