She is muted, not just in colour.
He has painted her in hues of dolour.
and taken away her voice.
I wonder, had it been her choice
to find herself so portrayed
in shades of violet, green and grey
to the modern art world’s eyes,
to be so closely scrutinised,
or did she trust the artist’s view.
Lacking softer tones of blue,
I wonder if she felt he was obtuse
when she found her beauty so reduced
to a muted but haughty and faceless
version of the woman that was Mary Alice?
Kim M. Russell 23rd May 2023
‘Portrait of Mary Alice Eckbo’ by Thorvald Hellesen,painted in 1914.
This Tuesday Lillian is our Poetics host at the dVerse Poets Pub, having recently returned from a trip to the British Isles that ended in Bergen, Norway. As usual, she has returned with plenty of inspiration for prompts and poetry.
She tells us that she and her husband spent an entire day at the National Museum in Oslo, which contains Norway’s largest collection of art, architecture and design. While there, they saw a special exhibit of the artist Thorvald Hellesen (1888 – 1937).
Lillian has provided five portraits, all painted by Hellesen, from which she invites us to choose one to inspire us to write a poem. She says that there is no required poetic form, this is a very open prompt, which simply requires the use of one of these portraits as the jumping off point.
writing in north norfolk 
LOVE the title here….and the way you question how she feels about this painting. Your description within the questioning/reflection is so perfect for the portrait. The rhyming adds to the poem….and how I love the ending! That version of the woman that was Mary Alice! 🙂 REALLY enjoyed this one!
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Thank you so much for your comments, Lill. As I said to Björn, I put myself in her shoes to see how it might feel to have my portrait painted.
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I love how you saw the person in the portrait that perhaps wasn’t the one she wanted to be seen, (or maybe it wasn’t a reliable image)… the rhymes flow so smoothly in the poem
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Thanks so much, Björn. Although I have sketched portraits before, I have never sat for one, so I tried to put myself in her place.
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I love the poignancy of this one, Kim! 😍 The questions you ask and the colour imagery – everything is so on point. My new favorite from you! ❤️❤️
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Thanks so much, Sanaa!
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“painted in hues of dolour” I love it. I enjoyed your wondering about their wonderings as well.
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Thank you, Lisa. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy visiting portrait galleries, which I haven’t done in such a long time.
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You’re welcome. I used to visit the local one regularly until some changes I didn’t like happened. Maybe it’s time for a revisit…
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This is a good interpretation Kim. I too wonder what she thought. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe,. That’s the thing about old portraits, especially of people we’ve not heard of – we can speculate about their lives and thoughts.
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I love this from the onlooker’s perspective, questioning if the woman in the picture agreed with the artist’s rendition. She might have been stealing bouquets, though.💐🤔🤭
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Thanks Melissa. I could do with a bouquet myself. :}
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Poignant, especially your closing couplet.
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Cheers Ken!
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Love your perspective and point of view, specially painting her in muted and hues of dolour. Fabulous ending lines. We chose the same painting Kim.
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Thank you, Grace.
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A really nice take on the painting, Kim. Whose choice we will never know!
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Thanks Dwight!
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Thank you.
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Interesting perspective that the poet ponders , what the model may think in todays viewing of her portrait.
Much💖love
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Much love on its way back to you, Gillena!
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I enjoyed reading your answer to cubism, I don’t like it either. Your lady was too submissive for her own good, not good. Or she was being held in bondage. Either way I felt sorry for her.
..
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Thanks Jim!
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Beautifully wondered. I can’t help but wonder too.
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Thanks Sean!
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I really like your approach as a series of questions.
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Thanks Marilyn!
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Lots of interesting rhyme in there. I especially liked, “portrayed in shades.”
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Thanks Maria!
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What a clever path you too, I love this, Kim … I do wonder what the subject might have thought about a portrait of himself / herself … every time I wander through a gallery. Cheers.
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Thanks Helen!
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It’s a question I’ve often asked myself about cubist portraits. In this case, I imagine she might have been pleased with the posture and her features maybe weren’t so important.
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Wow, the rhyme is divine in this one, Kim! I enjoyed the pondering, which made me think about how many who have posed for such work in the past were portrayed in a way that did not compliment them.
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Than you, Mish!
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I like the inspiration you drew here Kim — an effective snd well written piece my friend. 🙂👍🏼✌🏼 I wonder if that white thing she’s holding is a cigarette or not…. hmmm…
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Thank you, Rob. I had to look again and it looks suspiciously like a herbal one. 🙂
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A great title and beautiful words really looking at it from her POV 🙌
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Thank you!
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You have to really feel for this woman, her muted existence!
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That’s what I took from the image, Christine,
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The loss of self in the face of objectification comes through strongly for me.
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Good call, Paul.
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