The Met descibes Spring as Cephas Giovanni Thompson’s finest work. He also has a companion piece, entitled Autumn. Thompson’s Spring portrait is a misty romantic and sentimental piece, which got me thinking romantically, and sentimentally. It seems to me the…
poetry
Eating By The Sea
Why do we so love to eat by the sea? This video merges the beauty of the sea with the delicious joy of seaside dining.
Apples – A Poem
The form I’ve chosen here is ars poetica, essentially a poem about writing poems. I thought it apt, because when I think “apple”, I don’t just think of one. I think of many, just as Matisse has painted. And so,…
Madame Tallien as a Compote Bowl – A Poem
The 19th Century loved a good compote. These serving dishes on pedestals were used for fruit, sweets, candy, or other foods, and were often the centrepiece on a table. I was struck by the design of Roesen’s compote, particularly the…
Masquerade Ball at the Ritz – A Poem
If you click on the source link in the caption below, you’ll get a chance to see this incredibly detailed painting up close. Madrazo painted many scenes of Parisian nightlife in the late 19th and early 20th century, always with…
The Lithograph Artist and Van Gogh – A Poem
This poem began as a very simple response only to Marsden Hartley’s fruit bowl, and then, somehow, grew into a sparring match with Vincent van Gogh. Who won? The Lithograph Artist and Van Gogh (i)I draw my images directly on…
Peasants Eat Herring – A Poem
This drawing reached out to me across three-hundred years. It, in turn, took me back in time in memory. I love that these journeys are happening as a result of my decision to commit to this ekphrastic poetry series. Too…
Dinner Service – A Poem
I was so struck by the volume of this dinner service, I wanted to write about it. If you click the source link in the caption below, it will take you to The Met where you can zoom in for…
A Roman Feast – A Poem
My first prompt for “A Roman Feast” was the image at the very bottom of the page of a Roman serving vessel. I began to imagine what was actually served in it – which led to peacock, snails and dormice….
Life in Arles – A Poem
I love that you can access incredible artworks through galleries’ open access policies. I encourage you to follow the links in either the quote or the caption below and see van Gogh’s painting in zoom close up. There’s no way…
Contemplation – A Poem
Analysis has shown that originally this painting had a glowing orange sunset, which is partially what inspired me to write this poem. Beyond that, I find the colours, the body language, even the weight of the pumpkin tranquil. I can…
Break The Cycle – A Poem
The Art Institute Chicago tells us that this painting is from a much larger portrait of a family that Manet decided to cut into sections. La Régalade means “to pour liquid from a bottle down the throat without touching the…
