Caught amongst the fridge-magnets, the fraudsters and academics,
the backdrop to countless snaps: me in Paris, alongside that tower and the dancing legs,
we have obliterated your enigma with our kitsch and theories, x-rays and refurbishments
We have forgotten your mask, your flesh and constraint,
we see only the opportunities for gaucheries and profit
Duchamp was right, once someone thought you had a hot ass, lady love
picture courtesy of http://magpietales.blogspot.com/
34 comments:
Yes, it all boils down to the fact that Lisa was a hottie. Super piece, Isabel.
Great piece, so true and I love the last line, great!
excellent perspective!
isabel, i enjoy seeing how you play with feminine iconography. it's interesting, also, since you use the word 'kitsch,' how readily female objets are transformed so completely into that cottage industry. and, as with barbie, the kitsch becomes the reality...and the element of parody is lost. when i see little girls play with barbie dolls, my heart aches.
in any case, i am pleased to discover you and your blog.
thank you,
susan
Delightfully irreverent look at an old master - er- mistress, perhaps? LOL
Ha! The ending was golden!
it all boils down to sex!Great take on Mona!
Excellent poem and I have to agree the ending was perfect!
Getting it right ... you have certainly done that!
I loved it. That last line changed the whole thing. A laugh-out-loud moment is best when you've already put us somewhere else entirely.
"We have obliterated your enigma..."
Almost -- almost, but not quite.
Very enjoyable post.
really sharp and witty, and the voice in the last line, "lady love," is a brilliant turn!
This is excellent, I love how your mind works.
Strong with a touch of twit-y. Love it!
Lovely work. Have you read Paz on Duchamp?
Great job, puts her back in her proper perspective. Great jog. Vb
whooo...(sizzle) nice hot magpie
this is truly wonderful :)
nice take!
Delicious! Lick you lips stuff!
This is an excellent poem, but I also want to say that I have just spent a very enjoyable 45 mins or so reading through many of your blog posts from the last two months, and I am amazed and impressed by both the quality and frequency of your posts! As someone who struggles to come up with two worthwhile posts a week, a blog like this is a real inspiration when my energy starts to flag. Thank you!
Kind readers all, thank you for taking the trouble to read and comment on La Giaconda. I am worried that I may be generating a reputation as a poet who sees sex in everything, but truly I don't ... well there are a few things that remain celibate.
Susan, thank you for your comments and for visiting. I didn't link Barbie and Lisa in my mind but now that you have I can see the reverberations. I was also inspired by Robert Hughes's documentary 'The Curse of the Mona Lisa' (or it might be the other way around). It frustrates me enormously when people in galleries rush past great paintings to see the one in their guide books, and having found it, read the label and depart without actually seeing the painting.
John, I haven't read Paz but now will try to track some of his works down. I did discover a poet who runs seminars/classes at the Tate Modern,inspired by art works, which I thought was interesting. I am intrigued by echoes between paintings and writing. I would like to add music but although I enjoy and listen to a wide range of styles and times, my brain doesn't speak 'music' the way it does say colour and texture.
Tim, I am so pleased that you found posts that were interesting to you. I suspect my frequent posts are more revealing of a restricted life than much else. Please come and read again!
A well played Magpie ! LOL
Love the tone... and great ending!
~laurie
Clever and original..who could ask for more??
"We have obliterated your enigma"--Haven't we, though...In our hell-bent quest to know her we have, I think, never really come close. Fantastic!
Oh yes, we forget that she was once alive and worth painting. Great finish
Wonderful write... the basics!
Yes, it's amazing to think how a representation of a real person can become submerged beneath an ocean of opinion and speculation.
A hot Magpie indeed....love this!
:-)
Love the modern updating of Lisa's (current) art-fate.
She has become a much-used icon. Nice piece.
Got it in one :-)
I like the Mags that don't take this very ordinary painting too seriously.
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