Tuesday, April 13, 2010

her muted form

grant wood stone city

some of grant wood's work
makes me think that
i am seeing a woman
sleeping
under an eiderdown quilt.

grant wood young corn

the dips and hummocks,
the muted outlines of her body.
grant wood spring

and that
is
something
of what i think
when i see
the earth.

grant wood sheaves of corn

33 comments:

Linda Sue said...

The grand Tetons come to mind as well- named after the milky bits...you are right- these paintings are indeed very feminine, ider downish- welcoming and huggable.

Dan Gurney said...

Well, she, earth, IS our mother! Our real mother. She loves us, gives us life, and takes us back into her body when our lives end. We shall disappear back into our mother, just like a wave falling back into the sea.

Grant Wood's work is very evocative. It's not difficult for me to imagine woman/earth in Grant's images gently rising and falling gently as she breathes in and out.

Elisabeth said...

Art that reminds you of a sleeping woman; art that is of the earth.

Thanks Steven, as ever you open my eyes to new forms and ways of thinking, feeling and seeing.

Aleks said...

Wonderful images and imagination Steven!
May I wish you much luck with your Africycle action,noble man!Take care! :o)
Aleksandra

Dave King said...

Absolutely delightful. The pictures are wonderful and the accompanying text exemplary. Superb post. I shall pop back for another look, I'm sure!

steven said...

linda sue - you are so funny!!!! i wonder what people would look like if this is really what the world looked like?! steven

steven said...

dan yes! it's amazing to think that the very thin skin of surface and then the thin skin of air is all we need and all that is given to us freely and without condition. steven

steven said...

elisabeth - it's such an unexpected feature of my life that a community exists where it's possible to open eyes and have eyes opened!! steven

steven said...

thankyou aleks for the lovely comment and thankyou for your support with africycle. i'm so crazy to try and complete it but i like the idea of what it's for a lot and i like the possib ility that i might be able to ride that far in ten days. steven

steven said...

hey dave! thanks for that very generous comment. steven

Jenny Stevning said...

Oh, wow! Delightful! I love this artwork. 'Tis all new to me! Thanks!

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Hey steven - I, too, have always thought the mounds, curves, hills and valleys of Earth looked like a woman's body. Isn't it interesting how our eye loves form, line and curve?

Butternut Squash said...

A woman with a tumultous torso. It looks like a very comfortable place to be.

Golden West said...

Yes, they're very plump and bountiful looking.

Reya Mellicker said...

I love Grant Wood's art. Now that you mention it, of course I can see the woman in these pieces. Cool.

Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County is a princess lying across the landscape, according to the indigenous people.

I could always see the princess. Very cool.

Barry said...

So, that helps explain my sometimes visceral reaction to Wood's art.

Yes, now it's obvious.

Loren said...

Love these, steven, nearly as much as I do the Japanese prints you sometimes feature.

Guess, I'll have to look around for a book featuring his work.

Meri said...

Sometimes the comments left by your readers are so brilliant that there's nothing left to add.

Tess Kincaid said...

I adore Grant wood and his curvaceous farmlands.

steven said...

hello jenny - it's one of the magics of the blogging world - the learning about something new. i love it for that!! steven

steven said...

bonnie - i have been drawn to colour form and line for as long as i can remember. but mostly in nature and not so much in the human form. i can't really explain why i draw the imaginary line but there it is! steven

steven said...

butternut - a tumultuous torso!! i absolutely wish i had thought of that for this posting. so good!!! so very good!! steven

steven said...

golden west - voluptuous even!!! steven

alaine@éclectique said...

Well, yes, I see what you mean. The more I look at these, the more I like them. Yes, I could find somewhere for one of those; similar to the landscape behind our place.

steven said...

hey reya! the first people saw and see so clearly the land as a living being. the beautiful rich stories of their becoming are amazing. i especially love those stories that explain the shapes of hills, the presence of waterfalls, the reasons for things being as they are. steven

steven said...

barry - you just don't change do you!!! thank goodness!!! steven

steven said...

loren - i think you'll really like the rest of his work. it isn't as subtle and insightful as the japanese prints but it still carries a lot of weight and presence. steven

steven said...

meri - i am so fortunate to have amazing, creative, clever people like yourself visit here. i never take it for granted and it's one reason why i try my best to respond to every comment. thanks so much for visiting. steven

steven said...

willow - i somehow knew with your appreciation of the sensuous that this would be right up your street! steven

Friko said...

I saw the same as you initially; and, looking again, I could still see her, good mother earth, providing us with everything we need.

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

yes my first impression was 'Voluptuous'and then I thought of all those rolling hills in Tuscany where around every corner is another villa or vineyard, nestled into the landscape.

happy days

Goldenrod said...

A somewhat 'plump' woman, wouldn't you say?

steven said...

goldenrod - comfortable even!!! steven