Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

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BobBradshaw
Posts: 2683
Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03

Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#1 Post by BobBradshaw » 09 Aug 2018, 10:43

Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy


I returned to a house
with soggy walls, canvases ruined,
rooms flooded--the future
too exhausting to repair.

I was ready for St-Remy,
if I could paint there.
Surely the staff wouldn't hover
over me like the hooligans
in the streets here.

I couldn't stand the thought
of living alone
or of putting to risk
either myself or others.
Hadn't I believed
everyone was out to poison me?

No, I needed the calm
of an asylum--as long as painting
could remain a part
of my recovery. I must never
face again the horror
of being shackled to an iron bed,
hiding under my blanket
--an animal shuddering
in its trap.

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

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#2 Post by Michael (MV) » 09 Aug 2018, 18:56

 
Hi Bob,


stanza break after "repair"


your poem prompts me to respond w/ these lines -

I, like my brother, Van Gogh

Sanctuary & art
keep us right

the Vision freed from the frame


8)

Michael (MV)

 
 
 
 

BobBradshaw
Posts: 2683
Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#3 Post by BobBradshaw » 09 Aug 2018, 19:31

Thx, Michael... will adjust the break

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

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#4 Post by SivaRamanathan » 09 Aug 2018, 20:15

I have read this Bob Bradshaw,but I need to know more before I can say something.

S

Kenneth2816
Posts: 1619
Joined: 01 Jun 2008, 09:17

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#5 Post by Kenneth2816 » 09 Aug 2018, 22:51

Difficult subject Bob. He was so complex and fragile.

He painted Starry Night from his window because they would not allow jim outside. Stark contrast to the expectation he held. They say he would eat paint if left unattended

IndianaDP
Posts: 181
Joined: 24 Mar 2018, 16:53

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#6 Post by IndianaDP » 11 Aug 2018, 01:59

Nicely done Bob. As others have said, such a complex figure, a major undertaking.

BobBradshaw
Posts: 2683
Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#7 Post by BobBradshaw » 13 Aug 2018, 07:59

Dale, many thanks

Kenneth—yeh, Vincent liked to chew on the ends of his brushes... he also once drank terpentine but a friend intervened

Kenneth2816
Posts: 1619
Joined: 01 Jun 2008, 09:17

Re: Van Gogh, The Move to St-Remy - revised

#8 Post by Kenneth2816 » 26 Oct 2018, 16:14

Nailed it. One of my IBPC picks

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