I'm going to end my 4th annual National Poetry Month series of ekphrastic cherita with a cat painting by Wanda Gág, author and illustrator of one of my favorite picture books, Millions of Cats.
"Two Sleeping Cats" (1928) by Wanda Gág [1893-1946].
a pat of butter melting
on a slice of hot toast
a sleeping cat
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"[Black and white, an informal portrait of a young Negro woman surrounded by laundry in Newport, R.I.]" (1903) by Gertrude Käsebier [1852-1934].
an artist has the freedom
to play with perspective
to show things in new ways
we notice, then wonder
what else we've missed...
...let's go play!
© Diane Mayr, all rights
reserved.
"Shorty" by Ada May Plante [1875-1950].
the ability to dream
with eyes wide open
to be transported
great distances from words
best left unheard
is an admirable trait
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"A Knock at the Door" (1897) by Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema [1852-1909].
my child, he is here
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Les Tricoteuses" 1915 by Jacqueline Marval [1866-1932]
I am a cat
and cannot control
my innate impulses
humans knit in front
of me as if they expect
I won't go for the kill
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"The Milliner" (circa 1877) by Eva Gonzalès [1849-1883].
a palette of ribbons
and silk flowers
her use of color is flawless
I do draw the line at
feathers--my adornment
is not worth a song
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Flora" (1913) by Louise Abbéma [1853-1927].
I am housemaid to an artist
portrait sitters are prim--
no clean up required
those who partake in a
tableau vivant vex me with
drama (and flower petals)
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
the house is painted white
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Glacier et Aiguille du Tour, Mer de la Table au Chantre (Buet)" by Georgette Agutte [1867-1922].
she painted a glacier
more than 100 years ago
never realizing she was
providing us with evidence
that nature can be destroyed
while art remains
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Self-portrait with Green Background and Blue Irises" (circa 1905) by Paula Modersohn-Becker [1876-1907].
portrait with green background
in 1905 she thought she'd
have many more irises to paint
but death hid grinning in
the foliage--he knew she
had only two springs more
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Edge of Abruzzi; Boat with Three People on a Lake" (1924) by Winifred Knights [1899-1947].
knowing that nothing
exists beyond what is
seen on the canvas
these two dimensions
possess a magic that makes
me believe I can climb in
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Chez Moi" (1887) by Harriet Backer [1845-1932].
my room full of sunlight
when I, too, am sunny
I close the door to play
and sing a dance hall ditty
before settling down to
more interminable practice
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Achill Horses" (1941) by Mainie Jellett [1897-1944].
I have seen the white horse
on the high cliff this morning
luck should be mine today
but what to make of
the babe in the cradle
already afloat on the sea?
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Afterglow" (1914) by Florence H. McGillivray [1864–1938].
when the sun seems
to breathe its last
there is an afterglow
and fantastical words--
crepuscular, vespertine--
describe its creatures
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"At the Dressing Table. Self-Portrait" (1909) by Zinaida Serebriakova [1884-1967].
whites and tints
highlight the triangle
of terracotta and
auburn with her face
at its apex
she lives her art
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Blooming apple-trees. The trees are in blossom" (1899) by Maria Yakunchikova [1870-1902].
apple trees in bloom
spring, albeit briefly,
perfumes the air
in a few months the scent
of over-ripe apples will
languish through autumn
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Today's artist is more famous as being the model for others' work. Perhaps most recognizable is the portrayal of her as "Ophelia" by John Everett Millais. Her husband, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was a well-known poet and artist, so I imagine it may have been a struggle to get herself recognized as a poet and artist, too. Read a fascinating BBC article here.
"Lady Affixing Pennant to a Knight's Spear" by Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal [1829-1862].
sidestep the vicissitudes
of physical beauty
dare to become
a person of artistic
accomplishments
the impossibilities, endless
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"The Tiff" (c. 1902) by Florence Carlyle [1864-1923].
I do not mind sulking
it gives us both the time
to think--him about
the unkind thing he said
me about the apologetic
kisses he will soon offer
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Bathing Baby" by Elanor Colburn [1866-1939].
if only she would sit
in the water
without
that sodden rabbit
bathing baby
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Skaters" by Marianne von Werefkin [1860-1938].
ice skating
at night I think of myself
as a dark presence flying
over the ice snatching
bits of private conversations
like a bat catches mosquitoes
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"In a Boat" (1907) by Lilla Cabot Perry [1848-1933].
they mock me for my views
of the modern woman
I will shush them by
taking up the oars to paddle
myself across the lake
...I keep going nowhere
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Please read this Smithsonian post about sculptor, Edmonia Lewis. As an American woman artist she faced many hurdles. As a woman of color, she faced even more. After growing up in the US, it's no wonder she decided to move to Europe.
"Poor Cupid, or Love Ensnared" (c. 1872-1876) by Edmonia Lewis [c. 1843-1879].
they resemble their
"A Summer Shower" (1883) by Edith Hayllar [1860-1948].
a summer shower
a blessed respite
from badminton
and the sty stink
emanating from those
who are playing it
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Self-Portrait in Purple Velvet" by Mary Bradish Titcomb [1858-1927].
self portrait
you think you know me
--an old maid in purple
I may dress the part, but
under no man's thumb I can
wander, paint, and BE me
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Bird's Nest in Cattails" (1875) by Fidelia Bridges [1834-1923].
spring heralded by
red-winged blackbirds
co-ka keeeeeeee
nests in the cattails rock
hatchlings to the rhythm
co-ka keeeeeeee
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"Les volets clos" (c. 1900) by Elizabeth Nourse [1859-1938]. The title translates into English as "The Closed Shutters."
shutters closed
decorum is simply
a part of growing old
that's what I tell myself
as I look for new ways
to conceal age's effects
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"The Boston Sunday Herald: Easter" (1895) by Ethel Reed [1874-1912]
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Ethel Reed quickly became an illustrator of note in the mid-1890s. She created posters (then known as handbills or bills), book covers, and illustrations. She had turned 21 on March 13, 1895 and Easter was on April 14 that year. Sadly, she passed away in 1912.
I don't believe I've used a photograph in my prior three years of Ekphrastic April posts. Nor have I included living artists since I only use works in the public domain, but, after yesterday's incident at the US Capitol, I'm using a photograph by a living woman! Carol M. Highsmith has donated her work to the Library of Congress and has designated them in the public domain. The photo I selected, "Peace Monument and U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C." is reflective of April 2021 when once again we weep and wish for peace.
"Peace Monument and U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C." (between 1980 and 2006) by Carol M. Highsmith [1946-].
this year of debility
many misguided souls
see the people's house
as a fortress to be scaled
we trust it will not crumble
under the weight of fear
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
"At Granny's" by Helen Allingham [1848-1926].
a visit with Granny
the kettle always on
a bannock and a pot
of jam at the ready
her tales would make
even the spiders blush
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Welcome to Day 1 of the 2021 edition of Ekphrastic April in celebration
of National Poetry Month. Come back each day during April for works of
art created by women, each one is accompanied by an original cherita
inspired by the work. The poem may describe the picture, be an emotional reaction to it, relate to the creator of the art, or any of the various ways art can inspire.
Haiku Sticky and Happy Haiga Day! posts will resume in May.
"Monet's Dining Room at Giverny (Tea)" by Blanche Hoschedé-Monet [1865-1947].
by the calendar
winter is gone
spring is tarrying
let's take matters
into our own hands
and make sunshine
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
