REFLECTIONS IBD

Sinopse

This will be the third collection of Elisavietta Ritchie&rsquo,s work we have been privileged to publish, and what a remarkable collection it is, rich imagination and a talent for metaphors the hallmarks of her work. Here we see a poet at the top of her game, and game is the precise word for the often whimsical accounts she gives of the painting on which she reflects. William Meredith&rsquo,s short poem seems an apt introduction to the book. áOne thinks of Keats&rsquo, critical touchstone, the concept of negative capability he proposes, the sensitivity and imaginative power an artist has to intuit even the very center of a cue ball, the ability of the individual to perceive, think, and operate outside the box. Poets often employ this symbiotic relationship with the visual arts, a literary device known as ekphraksis used to convey the deeper symbolism of the corporeal art form by means of a separate medium such as poetry. The poet contemplates a work of art and responds with a lifetime of experience and curiosity to imagine the world found in a given painting.áHere the poems are written in the voices of the artist, his wife (who might also be an artist), his mistress, his model, his dog&mdash,One thinks of the popular film in which all the characters in the paintings in a museum step from their frames and celebrate their liberation once the museum doors have closed for the night. áThis seems a happy collaboration of artist and poet enhancing our understanding of a painting, as well as taking joy in the work from a verbal prospective. &ldquo,How do I know what I think until I see what I say,&rdquo, I believe W.H. Auden once quipped.áIn Chinese ideograms, a symbol for house combined with the figure of a stick woman within the house may be a symbol of peace. A plus B equals C, as it were, when a poet creates a new work standing on the shoulders of another artist creating something new under the sun.áAn earlier title for this collection, GLAD I GAVE TO ART MY ALL highlights what a long and distinguished career Lisa Ritchie has had. Perhaps only Grace Cavalieri is more prolific. When do these women sleep! I think of a William Meredith poem from HAZARD THE PAINTER which tells the story of a 8-year-old Erica, a &ldquo,factory of will,&rdquo, who when she returns from dancing class, &ldquo,she dances!&rdquo, Long may the dance continue for Lisa Ritchie and all her devoted followers who love how poetry can buoy the human spirit in the hands of such a fierce intelligence and curiosity.