In an Artist's Studio
by
Christina Rossetti
This poem is about how an artist portrays a woman, how a man interprets a woman. Canvases of the same woman, “one face looks out from all his canvases.” (Page 1029, line 1) These canvases of a woman’s appearance, her external form is what he has made and he has made them mulitple types trying to incorporate a woman. They are all exactly like a woman, like a mirror image, “that mirror gave back all her loveliness.” (Line 4) All of his canvases portray the same meaning, which is the appearance of a woman, “the same one meaning, neither more nor less.” (Line 8) He tries to interpret a woman with every canvass, he tries many times to recreate the outer beauty of a woman. He is obsessed with the outer form of a woman, he tries over and over to get it exact, “he feeds upon her face by day and night, and she with true kind eyes looks back on him.“ (Line 9) Making these creations leads him with joy, he is making a masterpiece. He has accomplished his recreation of a woman’s external form.
In this poem there is plenty of imagery for example, “A queen in opal or in ruby dress.” (Line 5) There is also rhyming in this poem such as, “him” at the end of line 10 and “dim” at the end of line 12. This poem is a Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet, because it uses the rhyme scheme abbaabba cdecde.
I really like this poem, it was interesting to see how an artist portrays the external form of a woman from a man’s view and the poet is a woman. So I wonder if a man was the poet if the poem would alter a lot or little at all. I liked how I could imagine some of the images in my head, and lastly I liked the use of language in this poem. This poem is different and unique, that is why I enjoyed reading and analyzing it.
In this poem there is plenty of imagery for example, “A queen in opal or in ruby dress.” (Line 5) There is also rhyming in this poem such as, “him” at the end of line 10 and “dim” at the end of line 12. This poem is a Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet, because it uses the rhyme scheme abbaabba cdecde.
I really like this poem, it was interesting to see how an artist portrays the external form of a woman from a man’s view and the poet is a woman. So I wonder if a man was the poet if the poem would alter a lot or little at all. I liked how I could imagine some of the images in my head, and lastly I liked the use of language in this poem. This poem is different and unique, that is why I enjoyed reading and analyzing it.
I loved this poem, I thought it was beautiful, quiet and simple but yet complex. It had much more meaning to him this painting of this woman. That it was someone he had loved but yet lost. I love what he calls her in the poem, “A nameless girl in freshest summer-greens” and he continues to call her names throughout the poem, like Saint and Angle. But he isn’t doing a painting of an Angle, he is painting just a women. Someone I think he at one time loved more than anything. I agree with you this poem was interesting, and very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you, this is a beautiful poem. But I saw the speaker as a girl speaking about herself from line 2, "One selfsome figure sits or walks or leans". Line 4 also gave me that impression, "That mirror gave back all her lovliness". The message I got from this poem is that to love someone else you have to love youself first. " The same one meaning, neither more nor less" line 8, she sees herself as beautiful, so not conceited but not self-concious either. "He feeds upon her face by day and by night", told me that this man thinks of her constantly of her inner and outer beauty. Her confidence gives him confidence and she knows this, which isn't a problem beacuse she loves him back line 14, "Not as she is, but as she fills his dream".
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