The Potato Eaters (1885)

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FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

The Potato Eaters (1885)

#1 Post by FranktheFrank » 09 Apr 2016, 03:02

The Potato Eaters (1885)

Five figures, from three generations. Of the three females
a girl sits, her back towards the artist. Two small windows
display the darkness of evening.

Eight rafters run from front to back. The ouders sit on high-backed
chairs with raffia woven seats. Oma schenkt koffie in, Opa holds
out his cup over a table worn rough at the edges.

A lamp shines on vapour rising from a bowl of aardappelen.
They scoop the meal from a common bowl towards them
with reversed spoons. Mevrouw stares past her man,

an arbeider wearing a cap; wide eyed she wonders why.
Their hands presented as lumpy, an accent on the joints,
faces and noses scribed with a bulbous characterisation.

Two luxuries are evident: light and coffee. Such poverty:
no piano, no colour, no caged bird to sing, no literature to
enthral, no Bible to comfort, no paintings on the wall.

The artist has rendered to the core, he has left out: dried herbs and
ham hocks hanging from the ceiling. The family pose awkwardly for
their pastor. He captures their rough-spun clothes. We presume

their linen clean, washed smelling of lye. In his latter days he paints
with primary colours and abandon, with whirls and daring strokes
before the entrance of those crows that cross his wheatfield sky.

++++++

Michael (MV)
Posts: 2154
Joined: 18 Apr 2005, 04:57

Re: The Potato Eaters

#2 Post by Michael (MV) » 02 May 2016, 20:29

 
Hi Frank,

April -- I was extremely preoccupied, esp with National Poetry Month;

and have not been as available to attend workshopping.

I'm now in the process of preparing for poems to represent the Writers Block this May IBPC.


Frank, if you don't already have a poem committed to represent for another board in this May IBPC,

please consider The Potato Eaters to represent the Block.

Accept or decline in the designated thread at Palaver: Upcoming May IBPC 2016

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6254

If accepting, please provide all the needed info with the poem as you would like it forwarded to the finals.


As I read it, I'm seeing that your poem is ekphrastic, after Van Gogh's oil canvas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Potato_Eaters


workshop below for your perusal & consideration  -- Frank, I'm not very familiar w/ German; I'll leave the accuracy of that language to you    -- Michael (MV)


after Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters (1885)


Five figures from three generations: two men, and of the three
females, a girl on a stool, back to the artist,
as two small windows display the evening blank.

Eight rafters run back to front. The ouders sit on high-backed
chairs with raffia woven seats. Oma schenkt koffie in, Opa holds
out his cup over a table worn rough at the edges.

A lamp shines on vapour rising from a bowl of aardappelen.
They scoop the meal from the common bowl towards them
with reversed spoons. Mevrouw stares past her man,

an arbeider wearing a cap, with wide eyes; she wonders why.
Their hands painted as lumpy, an accent on the joints,
faces and noses drawn with a bulbous characterization.

Only two luxuries are evident: light and coffee. Such poverty:
no piano, no colour, no caged bird to sing, no literature to enlighten
and escape, no Bible to comfort. Walls without paintings.

The artist has cut to the core, much is missing: ham hocks
^^ or as:    Rendered to the core, much is missing: ham hocks
hanging from the ceiling. The family poses awkwardly for the pastor.
See how he conveys the rough-spun, yet clean of their cloths,

their white linen smelling of lye. Later, towards the last, he paints with vivid
primary colours and abandon, with whirls and daring strokes before
those raucous blackbirds began to cross the wheatfield sky.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

SivaRamanathan
Posts: 1168
Joined: 14 May 2011, 20:30

Re: The Potato Eaters

#3 Post by SivaRamanathan » 02 May 2016, 21:51

their white lonen smelling of lye.

linen

SivaRamanathan
Posts: 1168
Joined: 14 May 2011, 20:30

Re: The Potato Eaters

#4 Post by SivaRamanathan » 02 May 2016, 21:52

I second your nomination. A good one Frank. And Michael's workshop too.
S

Michael (MV)
Posts: 2154
Joined: 18 Apr 2005, 04:57

Re: The Potato Eaters

#5 Post by Michael (MV) » 02 May 2016, 22:17

 
Thanks, Siva

I'll corrected that typo to "linen"

:)

Michael (MV)

SivaRamanathan wrote:their white lonen smelling of lye.

linen
 
 
 
 
 

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: The Potato Eaters

#6 Post by FranktheFrank » 04 May 2016, 01:43

Yes, I am very pleased to be nominate by you and Siva,

Michael (MV)
Posts: 2154
Joined: 18 Apr 2005, 04:57

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#7 Post by Michael (MV) » 05 May 2016, 09:38

 
Hi Frank.

!/

Please make correct "The family pose"

should be

The family poses


2/

The unnecessary repetition of "three female" makes the opening wordy.
 


Franks, at least the subject verb agreement in item # 1 above needs to be attended to.


The family poses


ASAP Please

Thanks,

Michael (MV)

FranktheFrank wrote:The Potato Eaters (1885)

Five figures, two men and three females from three generations.
Of the three females a girl sits, her back towards the artist.
Two small windows display the darkness of evening.

Eight rafters run from front to back. The ouders sit on high-backed
chairs with raffia woven seats. Oma schenkt koffie in, Opa holds
out his cup over a table worn rough at the edges.

A lamp shines on vapour rising from a bowl of aardappelen.
They scoop the meal from a common bowl towards them
with reversed spoons. Mevrouw stares past her man,

an arbeider wearing a cap; wide eyed she wonders why.
Their hands presented as lumpy, an accent on the joints,
faces and noses scribed with a bulbous characterisation.

Two luxuries are evident: light and coffee. Such poverty:
no piano, no colour, no caged bird to sing, no literature to
enthral, no Bible to comfort, no paintings on the wall.

The artist has rendered to the core, he has left out: dried herbs and
ham hocks hanging from the ceiling. The family pose awkwardly for
their pastor. He captures their rough-spun clothes. We presume

their linen clean, washed smelling of lye. In his latter days he paints
with primary colours and abandon, with whirls and daring strokes
before the entrance of those crows that cross his wheatfield sky.

++++++
Final Version. 13:08 4th May 2016
 
 
 
 
 

SivaRamanathan
Posts: 1168
Joined: 14 May 2011, 20:30

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#8 Post by SivaRamanathan » 05 May 2016, 12:34

Michael
If Frank does not respond,you can do it since it is a grammatical error.

Please make correct "The family pose"

should be

The family poses


I don't think Frank would mind.

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#9 Post by FranktheFrank » 06 May 2016, 01:10

UHM it is a group, hence singular.

I pose
he poses
they pose
we pose

the family pose

The family are posing
they are posing
we are posing

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#10 Post by FranktheFrank » 06 May 2016, 01:30

The British view…

However, the verb form used can depend on the emphasis of the sentence, and accepted regional usage, so no wonder many people are confused. In British English it’s absolutely fine to treat most collective nouns as either singular or plural – you can say my husband’s family is very religious or my husband’s family are very religious.

…and from across the Atlantic

American English takes a slightly different approach to the agreement of verbs with collective nouns. There is a very strong preference for the use of singular verbs with such nouns, so in American English you are much more likely to see, for example:

His company’s legal team is investigating the matter.

rather than:

His company’s legal team are investigating the matter.

However, using a plural is acceptable in American English if the writer or speaker wants to emphasize the individuals in a group rather than regarding the group as a single entity: from: http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011 ... ive-nouns/

meenas17
Posts: 822
Joined: 23 Mar 2014, 11:27

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#11 Post by meenas17 » 06 May 2016, 07:24

I go with you.
meenas17

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#12 Post by FranktheFrank » 06 May 2016, 11:57

British English speakers, especially mother tongue, can be lazy; I am one.

We know the form, but we hardly ever know why, we don't look up the rules. It is only when we are questioned about our grammar that we bother to look up, as it i in this case. Michael pointed out an error from an American point of view and with the best intentions. Yet I always use this form, singular verb with a collective noun, but I didn't know the rule, I had to look it up. I didn't even know we treat them differently in the USA and Britain. I was recently called on it by an American in another forum, now I know.

Thank you Meenas, I see you are developing and growing in confidence.

Keep going on and write lots of poems, never mind the mistakes, most people elarn from mistakes and move on, not that I see any in your work.

meenas17
Posts: 822
Joined: 23 Mar 2014, 11:27

Re: The Potato Eaters (1885)

#13 Post by meenas17 » 06 May 2016, 12:28

We, in India, follow the British in grammar.
British had ruled us for long. We learnt the language from them.
I am writing poems elsewhere but did not post them in this forum.
Thanks, Frank for your encouraging remark.

Meena.
meenas17

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