Too Many Introductions

Red Sun, 1935
Arthur G. Dove

I began reading The Best American Poetry 2010 with David Lehman's forward, which I found interesting. I'm always interested in "frustrated deconstruction," that is, breaking down something because one is tired of this something.

Then, I thought I was about to get into the poetry when I realized there was another Introduction, this time by Guest Editor Amy Gerstler. I started reading, then grew disinterested. I figured it was one intro/forward/prologue/guest comment too much and just moved on to the poetry.

The cover image is Red Sun, a 1935 painting by Arthur G. Dove. I like that name. Wikipedia says he was one of the first American abstract painters. The image used on the cover of the anthology is a cropped version of the original painting. Interesting that artists would willingly and knowingly alter and distort the work of another artist.

According to the website of the Phillips Collection - of which Red Sun is a member - this painting "reveals Dove's fascination with both the outward appearance and underlying mystery of nature...Dove was probably interested in the idea that certain forms and colors could symbolize nature’s hidden energies." (You can read the rest here.)

Perhaps the most interesting part of that Phillips Collection website is how, beneath a very honest and genuine overlook of Dove as an artist and the genesis of Red Sun, it then goes on to describe in great detail each part of the painting. At one point, the author describes the rolling hills at the bottom of the painting as evoking the "fields of the land around Dove’s farm in upstate New York." It continues, saying that the red-orange and blue of the fields "creat[e] a visual counterpoint that expresses nature’s balance in cycles of light and darkness."

It's a nice idea, but who knows if its right? At several points on that page, the author makes guesses, saying things like "probably interested," "alludes, perhaps..." and the faint sound of the author-trying-to-make-his-or-her-ideas-seem-correct with the phrases "bring to mind" and "call to mind."

In other words, in trying to break down and understand the intent and purpose of the artwork, one can only grope about blindly, at best alluding to another art work, in an attempt to understand. But the point is you can never know if you understand. Unless the artist told you what he or she intended.