Friday, May 8, 2009
"A Vast Similitude"
Welcome back! "A Vast Similitude" is the left painting of a two-piece painting (diptych). This painting was inspired by Walt Whitman's poem "On the Beach Alone at Night", which I absolutely love, and will quote here:
On the beach at night alone,
As the old mother sways her to and fro singing her husky song,
As I watch the bright stars shining, I think a thought of the clef of the universes and of the future.
A vast similitude interlocks all,
All spheres, grown, ungrown, small, large, suns, moons, planets,
All distances of place however wide,
All distances of time, all inanimate forms,
All souls, all living bodies though they be ever so different, or in different worlds,
All gaseous, watery, vegetable, mineral processes, the fishes, the brutes,
All nations, colors, barbarisms, civilizations, languages,
All identities that have existed or may exist on this globe, or any globe,
All lives and deaths, all of the past, present, future,
This vast similitude spans them, and always has spann'd,
And shall forever span them and compactly hold and enclose them.
Wow.
When I originally read this poem, I needed to look up the word 'similitude'. It's defined as "a visible likeness" and "an imaginative comparison". To hear how it's pronounced, click here.
I've created a few paintings inspired by this poem, and think I'll keep going and create a series. Please stay tuned for more . . .
Have a great weekend!
P.S. If you live locally, please come see my demo in Cupertino on Monday May 11 at 7pm. Details are in the posting below. Hope to see you there!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Great painting and post. I like that you added the link to pronunciation as I was saying it wrong. So I came here, saw a beautiful painting and learned something. Thanks.
Hi Holly, Wonderful painting. I am impressed by how you can resolve these seemingly ethereal paintings. They have strength and simplicity. I thoroughly enjoy coming by!
Post a Comment