Shades of GreyBy Amy Woolston
Mother raised and Father groomed, grasped pen and paper, brush and paint.
Genius knew no boundaries, virtuosity mistaken.
Traveled young Barcelona art, off to France, Matisse, Lautrec.
Abstract Cezanne, large, austere Pablo creates beyond what’s real.
This child of Spain sought past misdeeds his Red and Gold soaked in blood.
A favor shows the world a culture, Jura de Bandera!
His tools he raised to share turmoil, death, starvation, massacre.
With ash and black, no red nor sun, sharp angles attend defeat.
Screaming horse and woman grief, execute the lines of battle.
Innocents pay the bloody fee, while Ferdinand turns his head.
Bombs in their bellies rather than food, the masterpiece a tomb.
Interview to Kurt Jensen:
Interview by Amy Woolston, Poetry Project
Poem by Kurt Jensen
“Forebodings”, original poem with reference to
Winslow Homer painting, “Forebodings” 1881
Woolston: What was the driving force that moved you to choose this painting?
Jensen:
Woolston: Why did you appear to use more language that reads like a poem from the
1800’s?
Jensen:
Woolston: Why did you use the line “Keep a thumb on ‘em, ‘times they up and leave” in line 3 of your poem? Is that a famous reference to another “saying?”
Jensen:
Woolston: Is there a reason why you chose religious allusions to illustrate a common occurrence in the lives of fishermen/seamen?
Jensen:
Woolston: In the sentence of your poem, “Thank God some girls are led languid by love”, line six, what is the meaning that one should be thankful that some women are lead languid by love for the purpose of your poem?
Jensen:
Woolston: I can’t help but wonder, is there a history of fishermen/seamen in you own family tree?
Jensen:
Woolston: Are men really “sweeped seaward” and why would their women even be surprised of the fishing/business season of their sea career?
Jensen:
Woolston: Do you think your poem is sad or hopeful? What do you hope your audience to feel?
Jensen:
Woolston: What does the last line, “ Lethean tides flood fearing hearts” mean for the
layperson?
Jensen:
Woolston: Did your painting of choice originate from your previous familiarity with
it or did you find the painting moved you in a personal way upon first viewing the painting, “Foreboding?”
Jensen:
Interview from Kurt to me:
Interview by Kurt Jensen, Poetry Project
Poem by Amy Woolston
“Untitled”, original poem inspired by
Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica”,
Jensen: Prior to this project were you familiar with the painting?
Woolston: Not at all, perhaps I saw it in 1983 during an Art History class, but the history behind it escapes me now! I do love Picasso, so “in your face”, “love me or leave me” type mentality.
Jensen: What attracted you to this painting so forcefully that you were able to successfully use it for the basis of your poem?
Woolston: I chose a painting that seemed to illicit emotions I currently have, with the war going on and all…and I made an effort to stay away from religion/love, felt the topic would have been too removed for me. Plus, all those images in his painting, and no color! I was attracted to its simplicity, yet also its complicated topic and use of form.
Jensen: You created a fantastic piece of literature. Considering the painting that attracted you in some way, was it a difficult process to write about it or did it come easy to you, did the words see to flow from you?
Woolston: Yes, I found this difficult to meet the criteria, and I also tend to focus on that so I really had to “get over it” and take the assignment out of it before I could move forward. I’d say the first 4 sentences were the hardest…then it took its own course.
Jensen: In line 8 of your poem you wrote “creates beyond what’s real”, which is an interesting, thought provoking tag; would you be willing to expand on that?
Woolston: Well, as I read about Picasso’s personal history and how he was treated in general by the “art public” I saw that since his images could not always be understood or translated into something, that he saw things differently and painting that way…with a twist or a spin. It’s unnerving to see a painting and not “see” a painting, and many of Picasso’s works seem intangible. But, “Guernica” was one I could “see”…no hidden agenda, just the atrocities of war.
Jensen: The capitalization of the words “Red” and “Gold” in line 10 boast more significance than the words themselves. What should we as readers draw from the capitals? Does it speak of a nation soaked in blood?
Woolston: Yes, touché! The Spanish flag is two red wide stripes and one wide gold stripe up the middle with a coat of arms on the left side. Picasso was asked by the “PTB” of his country to create a mural for the Worlds Fair to honor his country. He designed the political mural of “Guernica” and while much of the world seemed to understand, the politicians in his country were not pleased.
Jensen: It took some sleuthing, but does line 12 translate to “oath of allegiance?”
Woolston: Almost, it is the Spaniards “oath of our flag.”
Jensen: Line 18 incorporates the use of a pun; it could be taken in terms of “battle lines” or the lines of battle drawn by the artist. Either way it’s a great line. Did you set out before beginning this project to consciously invest in little subtleties like the one in line 18 and the alliteration in line 2, or did they come as a surprise to you?
Woolston: I had a couple notes on a post-it that said “opposing angles” and “lines of death”…from there I bet it’s as much a surprise to me as anyone! Plus, counting the syllables and then squeezing in your point thereafter and within is arduous…there has got to be some luck there, eh?
Jensen: The last sentence of your poem starts out “bombs in their bellies”, would you be willing to expand on that phrase?
Woolston: Yes, thousands of people were murdered, placed in concentration camps, and many died of malnutrition due to the duress of the socioeconomic status of their country. Death was not discriminatory, people from every age group, sex, and social status were affected. So, they surely got “bullets in their bellies, rather than food”…I guess I like the last two lines of the poem best, the most “to the point” and upsetting.
I really like the way you last line seems to sum-up the entire painting.
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