ManicDDaily

"Joan of Arc (With Elephant"), Jules Bastien-LePage (with Karin Gustafson) (At the Met.)

When I was a child, I was transfixed by this painting.  First, I loved Joan of Arc; secondly,  the surface is so smooth and photographic,  it seemed inconceivable to me that it could have actually been painted.  When you are little, you tend to be a sucker for technique.  And drama. (Ah, drama!)   And crazy eyes.

Here’s a poem inspired by it, and others of a slightly similar ilk.  (Ah drama!)

Art Appreciation

Sebastian run with arrows pierced the halls,
reaming eye and mind’s eye too
with piteous wounds, his pale trunk
like the finest china except it dripped.
The visitor, a child, struggled to replace him with
inspired skin, a hand around a
candle, glow within,
(Georges de la Tour plunging in.)
Farther afield (a continent and several galleries away),
she found a Joan of Arc, whose eyes beamed
kaleidoscopically against Pre-Raphaelite bark,
a silvered willow.  Caught
inside that psychedelic gleam,
she became a connoisseur.

(As always, all rights reserved.)

(Also as always, if you like poetry, check out “Going On Somewhere” by Karin Gustafson, Diana Barco, and Jason Martin on Amazon.  If you like elephants, check out 1 Mississippi.)