On 23 January 2013 I posted a latitude-longitude poem "Zero-Zero" by Elizabeth Bodien and today I offer another of her poems of celestial geometry, this one inspired by a painting by San Francisco artist Blazin. Here, first, is Blazin's painting, followed by Bodien's poem -- both entitled "Midnight / Noon Along the Solar / Lunar Meridian."
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hikmet -- painting with numbers
Living is no laughing matter . . .
These are words of Turkish poet, playwright, novelist and memoirist Nazim Hikmet (1902-63), who spent much of his life in prison or exile for his political beliefs. In the following poem by Hikmet we see a portrait that builds from the numbers that characterize the landscape of Ibrahim Balaban's painting. As you read Hikmet's poem, consider the value of numbers in portraiture. Though they do not have the textures of color nor the movement of lines, numbers have shapes and edges that may much enrich our seeing.
Labels:
Ibrahim Balaban,
June Jordan,
mathematics,
Mutlu Konuk,
Nazim Hikmet,
number,
painting,
poetry,
Randy Blasing,
Turkey
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Painting tragedy with numbers
Although words such as "massacre" and "victim" and "buried" help us to understand the effects of disaster and injustice, sometimes the most vivid descriptions of horrific events are painted with numbers -- 6 million slain, 4-year-old girl raped, 11 days without food. One of the strong poetic voices of the twentieth century was June Jordan (1936-2002). Works in her collection, Kissing God Goodbye (Anchor Books, 1997), speak out for all victims, in Baghdad or Belfast, in Lebanon or Algeria. In the following poem from that 1997 collection, Jordan uses numbers to heighten her portrayal of tragedy in Bosnia.
Labels:
Black History Month,
Bosnia,
genocide,
June Jordan,
Kissing God Goodbye,
number,
painting,
rape
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)