Painting And Miscarriage Poem by Paul Hartal

Light and color are intertwined.
The cone cells in the retina react
to wavelengths of light
that the brain perceives as colors,
Throughout history artists used colors
but in the Post-Renaissance period
they neglected painting with vivid pigments.
Instead, they stressed the importance
of skillful perspective, composition,
line and displaying an interesting subject.

A radical change occurred
regarding the status of color in art
in the 19th century. with the rise
of Impressionism and Fauvism.
These trends emancipated color in art
with a bold declaration
of color's independence.

At the Salon d'Autumne of 1905.
an exhibition held in Paris
with the participation of such artists
as Andre Derain, Henri Matisse,
and Maurice Vlaminck,
the show room was filled with paintings
that seemed to be like festive fireworks.
The canvases displayed on the walls
appeared flaming in an orgy
of stunningly wild, ebullient
and sparkling colors.

Critics and viewers alike
were amazed and shocked.
One art critic even warned
pregnant women to stay away
from the show because, as he said,
the art works were so disorienting
and upsetting that they could possibly
cause a miscarriage.