Contemplating.

Contemplating.
Wayzata, Minnesota

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Mag - 195 - His Sister?

Why yes, it is, John Singer Sargent's sister, Violet.

He painted her over and over, throughout his life of painting.


"A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth." - John Singer Sargent



THE MAG




Autumn on the River 1889 John Singer Sargent



He, obsessed by Violet, she became the subject in many of his paintings. Reason being, he longed for all the tales she'd spin, upon every stroke of his brush.




NOT YET DAWN

His trees painted pale around her slumped figure.
Serenity echoed in a pearly cloud of summer's end.

These shorter days smudged too soon
with darkness draped all around her,
she shivered alone.

She longed for the soft swish of his brush.
Their dwindling, twilight hours behind, proved
 her wisest hours 
were intensely promised
 and yet to come.



To see other Magpie tales for Tess Kincaid's The Mag, go here.

11 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

quite provocative!

Cloudia said...

You have such a rich imagination, K


ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^= <3

humbird said...

Feel your passion about the artist and the painting in particular...

PirateGunn said...

You presented this poem so beautifully, and thus giving it that provocative edge, but it also enriches the reading. There are not only brush strokes there, I can see the words have been put down in strokes -wonderful rhtyhm, and soft, gliding sounds, but really powerful use of painting parallels - I learnt a lot about poetry from this.

Unknown said...

Enjoyed your poem and the art history lesson as well - thank you!

kaykuala said...

How grand it is to be having such an inspiration. Though being an artist's model can plainly be so tiring! Great write Karen!

Hank

Unknown said...

That's why I can't paint; I don't have a sister ...

Unknown said...

Short and sweet. Well done!

Tess Kincaid said...

I hope my wisest hours are yet to come...beautiful...

Silent Otto said...

I love how you turn these into amazing journeys ....their relationship does feel rather intensely verboten taboo , though, which makes it all the more interesting ....

Lyn said...

Sargent should have a chat with Da Vinci...about the mouth!!
Lucky brother/ lucky sister....