The Painter
By Ashbery
Critical Appreciation
This poem is a masterpiece in
literature. In 'The Painter' ,Ashbery touches upon some of the basic concepts
in imitative art. His aim is not to attempt a poetic compromise with the
warring schools of criticism. Rather he presents a situation in which the
artistic creativity may come in direct contrast with the demands of modem
society. The poem presents the ambition of an artist who wants to paint the
sea. His desire is to present the sea on the canvas rather than to paint it. He
says that "Nature, not art, might usurp the canvas" Ashbery draws a
conclusion that such an attempt would result in a total denial of modem urban
values. Ashbery builds a relation between the sea and the buildings in the very
opening lines of the poem. The painter sits between the symbols of nature and
the jungle of cement and steel. He was enjoying his work and expected that his
subject would easily yield to creative reproduction, but his expectations resulted
in failure. Reality denied to be captured so easily by art. Ashbery compares
his desire to children's view of prayer showing the simplicity of his desire.
Ashbery contrasts the artist's expectation to realistic theory of art claiming
that even the mass naturalistic presentation of life is still not nature as it
exists in a different medium which changes its attributes. The artist with this
desire is unable to present reality and so "There was never any paint on
the canvass" Ashbery contrasts the artist with the people in the
buildings. He focuses the basic difference between their modes of thinking.
They want to “put him to work” wishing him to paint something less "angry
and large", something "more subject to a painter", mood'. It is
vivid that they think art to be an imitative skill in the service of urban,
commercial interests. It is “more subject to.....a prayer” or as one may say
'an order'. The concept of presentation of reality in the sense that reality
may actually "usurp" the canvas is strange to them. The artist's
choosing his wife for a subject and making her "vast" is Ashbury’s
way of defining disillusionment. Ashbery being a jolly poet could hardly have
expressed matrimonial love in any other way. Anyhow this time it was as if the portrait
"Had expressed itself without a brush". With this inspiration the
artist now arises to paint with seawater, letting the medium of reality to be
the medium of artistic expression. This was as if the artistic creation would
"wreck the canvas", putting an end to the illusion of projection and
letting the reality to be expressed without any alien medium of expression.
This new mode of creativity in which the artist is overpowered by his subject
is disrespectful to the people in the buildings who consider it to be the case
of "a painter crucified by his subject". Others declare it the
egotistic expression of the artist's self and not presentation of reality.
Immaculate reality untouched with art is the final expression and provokes a
destructive harsh response form the people of the buildings. The portrait is
thrown into the sea where it becomes one with its subject and thus the
expression of the subject remains a prayer. The poem projects many contrasting
views related to art and its relation to reality and society. The creative
artist stands between the sea and the buildings, i.e., between nature and the
urban civilization. The buildings are tall and crowded. The tallness of the
buildings also reflects the way the people hate the artist. But the artist sits
with his back to the buildings. His freedom of thoughts is met with advice from
the buildings. People warn to "put hint to work". Ashbery with his
usual fanciful way of presentation makes the artist paint his wife whom he
makes "Vast, like ruined buildings" He very cleverly hides whether
the portrait of the spouse was made in paint on the canvas or if it was a
real-life portrait. The poem makes use of figurative language throughout that
making every simple detail stand for a more complicated thought related with
theory of art. As if forgetting itself the portrait, had confessed itself
without a brush, wrecks the canvas, crucified by his subject, all indications
of a subject began to fade, to howl, that was also a prayer, the sea swallowed
the canvas and the brush", all have figurative meanings expressing or
reflecting significant artistic concepts. Ashbery uses the word prayer several
times. In this poem every time meaning something different. The artist's prayer
and the people's hoot which was also a prayer have contrasted meanings and so
Ashbery uses the same word to mean different things to show how reality can be seen from many
different perspectives. Conclusively, Ashbery's desire of painting led him to
write this poem. The painter is fully representative of Ashbery's poetry. Ashbery
used a persona to show his poetic incite. The poet uses cinemascope images in
the poem to make it as dynamic and visual as possible. The Painter's desire of
immaculate and futuristic art remains only a prayer and longing. He is not able
to get the extraordinary because of the ordinary demands of the audience. The
main theme of the poem is that innovator, modem and creative artists am
crucified by the traditional and conventional people.
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