Vincent Van Gogh 91 - The Impressionists Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

The paintings of Monet, Degas and Manet
Surprised and impressed Vincent a great deal.
Monet's outdoor paintings splashed with pleasant shades
Of pinks, blues, greens, toned with beautiful pastel shades.
Every stroke of Monet's brush declared grace and elegance,
A woman seated in tranquility beside a bed of flowers or a pond,
Sewing or knitting, while her little daughter played around.
There was the rhythm of nature in every line and dot,
Blending so beautifully with the beauty of an elite woman.
Monet - a classic painter and a famed Impressionist!

Degas had paintings of ballet dancers in soft shades
Of pink and white, adorned with pretty frilly outfits
With shapely legs, toes pointed in perfect posture,
Sweeping and swirling high into air, into the clouds,
Or into the sky filled with ethereal space of awesome dancers!

Manet was different in his technique and style,
A stark contrast to both Monet and Degas.
His brush strokes, penetrated into the character-
Blending and overlapping with undefined pattern or precision,
Suggesting a search for truth or a quest for perfection!

Vincent sat down, stunned, in the Goupil's gallery.
Finally, he was in Paris known to be the capital of art and culture.
What he just saw was a set of new generation of artistes.
They were known as the ‘Impressionists'!
They had a bold message to the society through their art.
They were unconventional, unafraid with a concrete statement.
They impressed the connoisseurs of art with their paintings.
Vincent's thoughts went back to his own paintings.
There was no colour or sophistication in his paintings.
Remorse, regret gripped Vincent, as he ran out of the gallery.

A Biographical Poem