Rousseau’s Waterfall

Posted byauthorstewPosted inpoetryTags:, , , ,
Henri Rousseau, The Waterfall (1910), oil on canvas
The waterfall
-Where?
There in the corner
-The tiny one there?
Simple in its space
-Gentle Rousseau, can you hear us?
With the hidden figure
-We’re bringing brushes and paints
In tall grass watching
-Oh heavens gate!
As small deer gather
-Certainly a leisurely passion.
Behind the large tree we lean upon
-Truthfully? It’s light …
With large leaves shade
-Better than that portrait though,
Giant haystacks
-Painted facing the stars,
Lead to crosses of straw
-The portrait that didn’t show a face

The waterfall
There in the corner
Simple in its space
With the hidden figure
In tall grass watching
As small deer gather
Behind the large tree we lean upon
With large leaves shade
Giant haystacks
Lead to crosses of straw

This is for a dVerse prompt: Today for Poetics, I thought we might write from a selection of Rousseau’s artwork. Choose one of the paintings in this post and let it be your muse. Additionally, use the above epitaph as a launch point to describe where the painting takes you, the viewer.

I chose The Waterfall as the painting I wrote my poem about. In the post it says how Rousseau was a self taught painter and how his work was not taken seriously at first. I used that as the dialogue in the poem with the lines inspired by the epitaph and slightly twisted. The opposite lines are then put together to form the second verse which is more praiseworthy and descriptive of the painting.

Published by authorstew

C. Stuart Lewis creates poems with feeling, intelligence and sex appeal. His short stories and books focus on characters that feel real in real world situations. Originally from the United States he now resides in Ontario, Canada. Check out his webpage at TheAuthorStew.ca

18 thoughts on “Rousseau’s Waterfall”

  4. I pondered this one for a while and what I focused on was the figure with his back to the other one it feels like an ambush of some sorts. I think the deer should run. I enjoyed reading your take on the painting. I find it interesting to see where poets go with their words. The waterfall seems small in comparison to the landscape.

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    1. I didn’t notice that his back was turned at first. I think with art the interpretation is just as important as the intent. The waterfall does seem small in the painting in almost every way except the title. Thanks for reading. 😊

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  6. I love the question/answer format in the beginning. And you express well where the eye first lands and then the searching – to see what is in the waterfall and with what prominence. The waterfall as the title….not the first thing the eye lands on.

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    1. The painting is off perspective wise. How intentional and to what effect I question. He’s impressionist influenced so I imagine that’s a part of it but it has an amateurish affect for me personally.
      If I were to guess the reason for the impossible position is that he wanted to show a person sitting and the rest didn’t matter too much. One of the fun things about looking at art is seeing what you see in a piece and what you think the artist wished you to see.
      Thanks for reading! 😊

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  8. Yes, Stew, although the painting is called ‘The Waterfall’, the waterfall isn’t the first thing we see, we have to look for it. I like the way one of the figures shares the water with the deer – but then I wondered if the figures were hunters.

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    1. I didn’t think of one of them as hunters. I can see how you could think that with him hiding in the grass and all. It seems to me that a lot of the painting is out of perspective from the waterfall to the people and the grass. Thanks for reading! 😊

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