| Self Portrait, by Odilon Redon |
"My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined."
~Odilon Redon
Self Portrait by Odilon Redon
It is indeed indeterminate, this face,
behind the beard worn always to cover, to mask –
and from within the shadowy side of this painting,
almost blurry. The eyes hold a stare
and from within the shadowy side of this painting,
almost blurry. The eyes hold a stare
deliberately expressionless, gazing beyond us
into nothing. Even the colour is indefinite.
There’s a small splash of yellow and blue
in the background, but he himself is all dun.
Even the flesh is hardly brighter. The white
of one eye, though dim, stands out enough
to pull my attention there. Behind this eye,
he seems to hint, there could be stories ...
but it is clear (as much as anything in this murk
but it is clear (as much as anything in this murk
might be clear) if stories there are – and it is not
certain – he will never reveal them. Therefore
that glaring eye is a lie, or at least a distraction,
in reality promising nothing. You can also tell
that the mouth, surreptitious under that beard,
is pursed: suggesting a character mean or prissy.
In what way might this self-dislike inspire?
Written in response to April 2020 Day 9 at 'imaginary garden with real toads', where we are asked to write about a painting by Odilon Redon. I guess I took it out on poor Odilon. (Did I ever mention how much I hate doing ekphrastics?)
I love the way you’ve imitated Redon’s style with words, Rosemary, and with the density and length of lines. His self-portrait gives nothing away, and you’ve conveyed that so well.
ReplyDeleteYou have given a lot of thought to this "selfie" - an enlightening reading of character.
ReplyDelete"The eyes hold a stare deliberately expressionless, gazing beyond us into nothing," I agree! It's nearly impossible to tell what he is thinking! A fabulous write, Rosemary 💝💝
ReplyDeleteNot everyone enjoys the ekphrastic challenge, to try to get in touch with something created not by oneself, but it is generally good experience in the craft. Obviously, poor Odilon came up short in your reckoning. ;) Nonetheless you paint a cutting, detailed image of what you have seen here.
ReplyDeleteI admire what people like Sanaa and Kim do with it, using the picture as a springboard into their own imaginations — but I always seem to fall into just describing what I see. 😢
DeleteAn amazingly detailed description of this piece of art....that is at once factual and at the same time wondering. Well done!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this character reading...interpretation of the image. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteTalk a out reading a person, you did this without mincing words. You should take up dream and palm reading also. I can't find anything you left out, Good Job.
ReplyDelete..
Ha ha, I have done palmistry in the past, and also am quite good at (psychological) dream interpretation.
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