L.A.R.T: Fragonard and Williams

Your thighs are appletrees
whose blossoms touch the sky.
Which sky? The sky
where Watteau hung a lady's
slipper. Your knees
are a southern breeze—or
a gust of snow. Agh! what
sort of man was Fragonard?
—as if that answered
anything. Ah, yes—below
the knees, since the tune
drops that way, it is
one of those white summer days,
the tall grass of your ankles
flickers upon the shore—Which shore?—
the sand clings to my lips—Which shore?
Agh, petals maybe. How
should I know?
Which shore? Which shore?
I said petals from an appletree.

-William Carlos Williams

Today I am taking a look at William Carlos Williams poem, "Portrait of a Lady" and his reference of Fragonard (a Rococo artist) and his allusion to his piece, "The Swing". Williams poem reflects the mysterious and charming sexuality that is whispered in Fragonard's light, airy, and almost innocent depiction of a "lady", who acts much more promiscuously than any lady should. I feel that the man who is underneath the woman in the painting would be reciting these awe-inspiring words to the woman upon the swing. Williams almost could be mocking the painting and his improper way of viewing a woman as he states, "agh, what kind of man was Fragonard?". Was he truly one to capture all the flighty sides of woman, not the quiet soft definition of thighs and knees, not the womanly figure, but the common associations of the womanly spirit during the high class Rococo period. We almost have contrasting views. Fragonard personifies and stereotypes the woman, and Williams see's the woman's flesh, being, and spirit as a whole. The woman's nurturing fruitful body and a woman's comforting pleasing presence without the association of infidelity and controversy, which much women are succumbing to during the themes and styles of the Rococo period.

The Not So Gentle Gentileschi.

When I hear the name Artemisia Gentileschi my mind brings up images of brutal stabbings and the deepest angry feelings of rage and deception. Gentileschi's art is therapeutic. Maybe not so much in the eye of the viewer, until the viewer knows her struggle. I imagine her as being a strong woman for bearing a soap-opera sort of life. While studying her craft, a fellow artist who was working with her father (also a noted artist) brutally raped her. She continued to have affairs with him under his promise of marriage which never occurred and ended on the sourest of notes. Her paintings often depict bloody images of heroism and religious tales. These rare themes were not typical of any female artist of her time. The emotions of her past are dealt with through these images she masters. I have posted this picture of her depiction of "Judith Slaying Holfernes." The soft, unsurprised faces of Judith and her cohort are focused on getting a job well done. Holfernes struggles and we can see the life seep away from him as the women behead him. The gore and shocking forwardness of this picture is astounding. I admire female artists during the early periods, such as this one which belongs to the early Baroque. The influence of Caravaggio is seen with the rich deep colors and the dramatic staging of light. I like that she also chose a story from the bible which is not often depicted. She has made and independent name for herself and is branching out to find her own staple that represents her as an individual.

Literature and Art=L.A.R.T

I will call my segments concerning literature aspects and art, L.A.R.T or simply "lart". In my Honors Literature course we are looking at famous writers, mainly those known for their contribution to the "modernism" era. This is generally post-war writers, and those popular in the 1920's. Gertrude Stein, a famous poet during the period is depicted here by her good friend, Pablo Picasso. Picasso is widely known for his importance to cubism. This random and repetitive art movement was equally shocking and not well accepted, as well as revolutionary and guiding. Stein and her brother collected art which opened the door for her friendship with Picasso. Stein wrote a poem, which I feel is cubism in writing. Her popular poem, "Picasso", has an obscure rhythm, and repeats patterns as if you were looking at "Guernica" itself on the wall. I would like to dub Stein as being herself, a cubist poet. Poetry and art are so closely intertwined. Titian expertly introduces this ephemeral quality in painting back in the Venetian Renaissance with his "Pastoral Symphony." The term "poesia" is used to describe paintings as his. This is poetry in motion. Stein has taken pictorial associations of the written word and puts it in reverse--poetry depicting art.

When I myself sit down and write a piece of prose I often feel obligated to show a picture to further emphasize my emotion, or my point. Music can also be intertwined with all these, poetry, art, music, music, art, poetry. Without these one of these things, the other cannot be described. Art describes itself. Gertrude is describing Picasso, and Picasso had captured Gertrude.

Most Admired Sculptor: Bernini.

I am an art history enthusiast. I have taken several courses, and I plan to get a minor in art history alongside my current education major title. Enough about me, I would now like to focus attention towards this remarkable artist, Bernini. Bernini is known for his sculptures during the Baroque period (and as we like to say, "if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!). He has birthed two of my all time favorite sculptures. When I look at his, "Ecstasy of St. Teresa" found at the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, I get shivers. I almost can feel the dramatic and overwhelming presence of God being depicted. The cherub is repeatedly stabbing Teresa with this ecstasy. The brass bars which hang downward help to express this golden moment. The way Bernini has sculpted this scene is unlike many followers of his time. The way he has manipulated the marble to capture light in a certain manner epitomizes the dramatic effect sought by the Baroque artists. Some would say that Teresa's facial image shows not only a serene state, but a climactic, almost sexual state of ecstasy. This can be attributed to the interpretation of the cherub figure as being attributed to Cupid. I also would like to share another work by Bernini which I respect and admire.
Bernini accurately depicted the pagan myth of Apollo's chase after Daphne. Once more, he has shown that he has a true knowledge of the way people move, and has an acute skill for showing us dramatic movement on such a solid surface. The manipulation of light also assists the piece. You can see the shock and terror in Daphne's face, as she almost fears her plea to the Gods will go unheard, but she suddenly sprouts sprigs from her fingertips and turns into an unmovable Laurel bush. Apollo is in mid chase, his back foot is lifts and his body weight is shifted to gracefully as if he thinks this final move is the one to win Daphne over.
In conclusion, I hope you have appreciated my take on these works of art, and perhaps you have gained knowledge about Baroque sculpture thanks to its leading man, Bernini.