Steins Exhibition Inspiration

Two paintings remain with me from the day I went to the Steins Show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One was Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein and the other was Matisse's portrait of his wife, Amelie Matisse, Woman with Hat.

I can just imagine Gertrude literally coming off the canvas, grabbing my hand and the both of us taking flight over Manhattan like Raymond Brigg's Snowman. We sail the open sky. Soon we find ourselves over vast forests away from the curling wide Hudson. We land in my studio. She hands me a brush and gives me that "get it done" look. Outside, Amelie Matisse is jumping on a trampoline which is delicately placed on fresh cut grass. Amelie is holding onto her hat. She's laughing. Her dress billows like a parachute. She doesn't say a word. But I know her message: "Don't forget to have fun!"

Here's my quick study of each of the paintings:

So what is it that I am working on? What shall I have done? What shall I have fun doing? Well, that's another post!

A bientot.

Gertrude Stein and Amelie Matisse Poems

Inspired by Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein and Matisse's portrait of his wife, Amelie Matisse, Woman with Hat from the Steins Show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I wrote these two poems:

Portrait of Gertrude Stein

African mask face
Solid bold pose
Smolder stair
Watcher weeps
Weeps weeps
Over this
Boundless human
Picasso captured
Pensive woman

Amelie Matisse

Stripped clown face
Carmen Miranda
Before the time
Jazz beat
Across canvas
Voyeur view
Matisse's mind
Looker laughs
Laughs laughs
Over this
Pout hat
Sanguine gaze

A bientot.