July 28, 2017

Poetry Friday--Zorach Family Art

On a recent visit to the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, I became enamored of a small bronze titled "Affection." The piece is by William Zorach. It was the only work of art I photographed that day.

I wrote an ekphrastic cherita* to pair with it:

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. "Affection" (1933) by William Zorach [1887-1966].

The Currier also has a painting, "Plowing the Fields," by Zorach.

A Wikipedia entry on William Zorach let me know that Zorach spent time in New Hampshire and lived and died in Maine (our neighboring state). I also found that Zorach was the father of illustrator Dahlov (Zorach) Ipcar, a name some of you may recognize. Ipcar passed away on February 10, 2017, at age 99.

Dahlov Ipcar wrote and illustrated many children's books, such as The Wonderful Egg (recently reprinted), and, she illustrated books by other writers such as Margaret Wise Brown.

Flying Eye Books.

Head over to A Word Edgewise where Linda is hosting the Round-Up for this week.

*A cherita is an unrhymed, untitled, poem that tells a story in 3 verses. Verse 1 is one line, verse 2 is two lines, verse 3 is three lines. Click on the "cherita" label on the right side of the page.

19 comments:

  1. Cool family artistry connection, Diane!
    Sometimes we do have to move on to stem the tears, don't we? I can see why that piece was your favorite.

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    1. Thanks, Tabatha. The fact that it was bronze, a warm, metal (if there is such a thing as a warm metal) intensified the feeling of affection found in the piece.

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  2. It is a lovely piece, and sharing the feelings when viewing it is a new and wonderful idea, Diane. I have The Wonderful Egg, glad to know about the artists' connection.

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    1. The Wonderful Egg looks familiar, but I can't really say that I've read it. I will try to order a copy for the Library, since it has me intrigued.

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  3. Ooooooooh, I've seen cherita(s) ? from you before. I like the idea of writing one. I'm taking the idea of a cherita as our swap today. Thanks! And, I'm kinda wowed that this piece is the only piece of art you photographed. I was recently at a museum and took lots of photographs but a bronze bust has haunted me since.....time to start thinking of a cherita to go with it.

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    1. Cherita, like haiku, is both singular and plural. I think you'll like writing cherita, Linda.

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  4. Aw, that is a wonderful statue. I wonder if it's of his daughter, who went on to illustrate kids lit. Lovely cherita.

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    1. It could be his daughter since she was born in 1918. In 1933 she would have been 15, but he probably had memories and sketches of her to draw from in creating the statue.

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  5. I've always been a wee bit jealous of artistic families. It would seem an easier path to pursue if one's parents were already invested & interested. Makes me ever thankful for my PF family & their encouragement!

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    1. Same here, Keri. Neither of my parents had any artistic inclinations.

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  6. Zorach lived in Georgetown, the town I live in. His "Spirit of the Sea" is in Bath, my home during high school and older years, and where I taught until I retired. Last summer I was privileged to get his daughter, Dahlov Ipcar, to sign her books for me. We visited her in her home when I was in high school. I did not have adequate appreciation for this when I was young.
    The library park has just this summer gotten a rejuvenation of the statue and pond:
    http://www.pressherald.com/2017/06/25/in-this-summer-of-zorach-bath-celebrates-spirit-of-the-sea/
    The library features Dahlov's artwork throughout the library and especially in the Children's Room. Definitely worth a visit!
    Love that you made a poetic connection to this art!

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    1. Thanks for the link, Donna!

      One rarely appreciates the gifts we receive when we are young.

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  7. What a rich post of art and poetry. Thanks, Donna, for the article and further information. Communities that celebrate art together, stay together.

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  8. Sometimes I wish I could get around to the roundup on Fridays, but then I would miss out on the amazing conversations and connections!

    Diane, your poem made tears jump into MY eyes, too. Art that moves us to our core deserves to make more art.

    Donna, what a small world. How lucky you were to make the connection before it was too late.

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    1. "Art that moves us to our core deserves to make more art." This is a fine definition of ekphrasis, Mary Lee!

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  9. Thank you for sharing such lovely art--and your cherita to go with it is haunting.

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    1. Haiku and cherita, in their brevity, allow the reader to put one's own spin on it. Someone else might not find this cherita haunting, or they may, but for completely different reasons than you have found.

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  10. Thank you for this new form: cherita...I like it. What a beautiful sculpture and the cherita honors it.

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