Entering the Painting: "The Vineyards at Cagnes"

 

Leaning against an olive tree,

the lady sits contentedly

in her own private world.

Red blouse, blue skirt,

the wide brim of her hat

shielding the sun.

Apparently reading a book,

entering the story,

absorbing the narrative

in her delicate head.

Invisible to the reading lady,

I enter the painting.

Leaning on the other olive tree,

sitting in the summer shade,

wearing my ordinary clothes.

I observe the landscape,

and begin to write about

my pastoral impressions

and her captivating presence.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

"The Vinyard at Cagnes" ~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1908

Photo Location: Vero Beach Museum of Art - Vero Beach, Florida

Vincent

 

Despite working in your asylum studio in France,

I believe "Starry Night" shines with hope.

You also brought recognition to peasants

working tenaciously in the dreary fields.

Working with a self-imposed urgency,

you suffered under the duress of stress.

Your bold, dramatic brushstrokes

expressed motion and emotion.

"Sunflowers" is a warm harmony of yellows.

A robust vitality of color.

You've left a profound impression

on generations of admirers,

with the skilled manipulation of your brush;

painting with the lucidity of light.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photos from this book: 

Fragments of Poetry 21

"... the pine trees 
were brushing themselves
against the sky
as though they were painting it, ..."


excerpt from the poem: "Thinking of Swirler" 
from the book: Evidence by Mary Oliver © 2009


You may also enjoy: 

Fragments of Poetry 20 ~ February 28, 2018

Fragments of Poetry 19 ~ November 28, 2016



Photo Location: Buena Vista, Colorado