Page 4 - Savoring

PAIRING ART & POETRY
“Learn about pines from the pines,
and about bamboo from the bamboo.” -- Basho
I’ve always been impressed by how compatible Asian art and poetry can be. In traditional Chinese paintings there was often a poem, written by the painter, in the upper left-hand corner. Buson, the celebrated Japanese haiku writer in the 18th century, was just as well-known as a painter.
In the West, this mixing of art and poetry, it seems, has never been nearly as common. But here, in this book and in the actual exhibit, is a nicely done collaboration between poems by a number of poets and art works by Betty L. Beer.
One of my favorite pairings is Marianne Murphy Zarzana’s “The 9-to-5 Blues” and the charcoal work called “Experienced Man Desires Position.” Each work has its own integrity, and yet the two go together well. The same is true of Christine Stewart-Nuñez’ “The Artist Paints the Sunset” and “The Lush Moment Just Before Ripeness,” and in this case, the poem’s refrain (quoted from another writer) – “lush moment just before ripeness” – also serves as the title of the oil painting. The refrain fits perfectly for both art works, which possess, each in its own medium, a tension of anticipation.
This art and poetry collaboration amounts to an impressive savoring, well worth the viewing and the reading.
David Allan Evans
Poet Laureate of South Dakota
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