Hi Michael,
I'm enjoying your poems here - they are as always well-executed. The Rothko is rather a leap, to me, from your usual fare, but I think Rothko may do that. Here's my Rothko, with the painting that inspired it, though I'm afraid mine is a straight ekphrastic:
Rothko
This is a scarlet canvas. There’s a flat
rectangle or two on it – in the center
and at each side. It is the color, not
of blood, but of a cardinal’s hat. Do
not be alarmed, it’s quite serene. I think
the two long framing rectangles the man
has dubbed maroon might well extend beyond
the painting’s frame and into space. It looks
a bit like a fence someone painted – you
can see each brush stroke, and the rectangles
are rather sloppy. Red bleeds in across
that framing lattice. You might think it worth
my while to step outside the color and
the line that shape this canvas. But I won’t.
And here's the Tate:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks...-t01165
The Cormon is my favorite Cain painting, but you could be right - it's not uncontrolled, I think, but it is rather loud. Not an ekphrastic.
CHeers,
John