William Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851

At the Tate Gallery

I took out my notebook and wrote.

You did not paint, you are painting.

You left us behind, we blind ones,

Tambora orange,reds,violets,

fire and seawater scalded into light.

Heavens unformed,

fragmentation of an assumed known.

The names alone.

The Morning after the Deluge. Sunset.

A Stranded Ship. Fire at Sea.

(Your mother´s vision has struck you with brillance, robbed speech).

The spirituality of vision, the painter of light....

The sun is God.

Sick with inability, wordless, spastic-mouthed,

I staggered back to the sightless of a London morning,

the taxis hooting.

Reviews

[Valentine]

Looking at art can be a very breath taking experience. It is a wonder to me how they can have perfection on canvas. Nice write .. Valentine

[FJ Davis]

The kind of tribute that elevates the praiser almost as much as the praised.
An informed, perceptive, well-written and smartly-styled piece; the equal of anything one might read in the slickest, most expensive magazines.
What I know about painting, you could spray on a subway wall--a very small subway wall. But I'm now curious about William Turner--and, obviously, I wasn't before reading this stunning poem.
Up there around spectacular, LP!

[patricia]

I loved the back to reality stanza at the end. A great tribute to a brilliant artist. Thankyou.

[Jasmine]

The last verse finished this poem off excellently, as you put everything into a perspective that everyone can identify with. I think anyone who's ever look at a Turner can appreciate this.

Wonderful, thank you very much for sharing.

[TL Boehm]

fire and seawater scalded into light.
Heavens unformed,

I'm not much of a "painter" but I love the medium - the colors, the canvas. This piece was lush with imagery _ could see the colors....
Beautifully done.

[Nautili]

How beautiful to be inspired so by an artist, that no words can articulate it, that his talent and vision left you temporarily dumbfounded. It is apparent that this work touched your soul in a very deep place. This is a very good write- I love the end - the busy street with its noises and bustle, juxtaposed with the kind of quiet and reflection in the museum; the same kind of awe that some would find in a church filled with statues and stained glass...

[...]

. an incredibly thought-provoking piece of writing ... the last stanza is particularly powerful for me ... i have been wondering if God really exists ...

[Michael G.]

Thank you for this piece. I only wished I could have stood where you stood, and enjoyed the paintings, also. You gave me a good view of them, however. Again, thank you. A very enjoyable piece.

[Emily B]

oh, oh