Brash Shocking Beastly Use of Colour, by Mary Ellen Talley

Portrait of Greta Moll, by Henri Matisse (France), 1908.

Brash Shocking Beastly Use of Colour                                

The eyes of Greta and Amelie stare 
from seated portraits by Matisse

French minions did accept wife Amelie’s 
outrageous hat 
plumed in fashion’s most egregious statement
with wild feathers burying her forehead         
after Gertrude Stein and family paid Matisse
thus spurring Parisians to come and take a look
His Amelie backed by streaks of green yellow 
pink red blue purple smudges
tilts her face above demure-held fan
curved colours smudged below her chin and held
in black-gloved hand
Dob of yellow on her nose even some above her lip
set the artworld afire and embarrassed Amelie
Her gaze reflected hours of posing and was her hair 
in real life that deep dark red
Did he bring goblets of water 
or remove her weighty hat after those dark colours 
were outlined in black

Above Greta Moll’s straight-on student face
there’s a fan of upswept brown hair above her broach

Did she find the three ten-hour stints of posing tedious
Her teacher changed colors of the garments several times
blouse from lavender to green until his eye found harmony
although Greta thought he made her arms too plump
Matisse said they balanced out 
which she accepted later 
Some still disagree to whom she left her portrait
when wartime fled her into Wales
The Nazis never did take the painting
London has Greta but grandchildren want her back
War has more than corpses.

Somber eyes announce confusion
amid the gist of museum logic
                                   
Even Matisse said his wife of course was really
wearing black 
One by one additions multiply
hide divide bold brushstrokes as the oils dry

Mary Ellen Talley

Mary Ellen Talley’s poems have recently been published in Peacock Journal and Kaleidoscope as well as in the anthology, Raising Lilly Ledbetter Women Poets Occupy the Workspace. Mary Ellen worked for many years with words and children as a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in Seattle public schools.

Woman in Hat, by Henri Matisse (France), 1905.