anders zorn sommarnoje (summer our pleasure)
the portrait
the oars feel soft as bone in his paint-spattered hands.
through the thin wooden hull he can hear the sweet counterpoint of lapping waves.
the words of encouragement he speaks to her,
wash into the wind
as she holds her skirts closer.
fog settles in at the entrance to the bay -
his island studio is ten minutes away.
"stay tonight
we’ll watch the full moon rising
hold on tight
the sky is breaking
i don’t ever want to be alone
with all my darkest dreaming
hold me close
the sky is breaking"
italicized words by david sylvian (darkest dreaming)
15 comments:
How on earth? But I suppose, where there's a will....
The painting and words make sounds in my ears, gentle and sweet. Alaine's question didn't even occur to me. :-)
When you do that - riff with words on an image or painting, it comes alive for me. I can see it so much more clearly. I always say this, Steven, but: thank you!
hi alaine! you can't be practical at times like this!!! however, may i suggest that a small ladder placed at the end of the dock which the oarsman hooks onto carefully placed chocks of wood might allow the lady to descend gracefully into the rowboat. or so i hope. steven
ruth - i love to imagine. create small spaces with possibilities. i hope my solution above offers one possibility for alaine's reality check! steven
reya - thankyou yourself! as i said to ruth, i like to create small spaces with possibilities. they are so like inkblots that way revealing as much about who we are and what we wish for as anything else might. steven
Great painting—so evocative of a mood of sky and water. And the sound of waves lapping on a thin lapstrake hull! Ah!
Is that her boot in his hands?
dan - i don't see anything in her hands other than perhaps her future. steven
Steven, how DO you do it?
You've prefaced Sylvian's poem perfectly with "Sommarnoje" and your words. Just beautiful.
All I can think, though, is "What kind of scandal will this cause?"
jo - i really enjoyed becoming available to one of the possibilities this painting presented and then framing it in the terms of my own experience. you ask about the scandal: this was a feature that was to some degree close to the forefront of my considering after i had assembled the piece. i'm not sure. the artist and the woman occupy two spaces as distinct as a coat and button, threaded together nonetheless. steven
you continue to delight me with your header pics.
ellen thanks. this was taken two evening's ago through a side window. steven
You bring so much life to this painting,well, to LIFE in general- Oars soft as bone - the skirts, the journey only 10 minutes away- to his studio- could anything be more perfect- Thank you for this little adventure so need on this day of more winter weather...
linda sue it was a lovely piece to watch assemble. the pieces were hovering in my head - the words, and the sylvian words were right there when i saw the painting. i'm glad you climbed on this little birds wings. steven
I really enjoyed your reading of the painting. Beautiful :)
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