The Fencing Master, 1900, Gary Melcher (American, , D.I.A.)
Michigan's finches aren't this yellow yet, but . . .
here's a young guy working on it, trying for adulthood, testosterone, and brilliance.
And here's a spring poem by a (German) poet I’m not very familiar with, but Gottfried Benn might be worth further reading, for a number of reasons:
Last Spring by Gottfried Benn : Poetry Magazine [poem/magazine]
Kudos once again to Poetry Foundation and Poetry Magazine for introducing us to such a variety of poetry and commentary on the art, craft, and history of verse.
In Wikipedia, the biographical info on Gottfried Benn is interesting, perhaps disturbing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Benn
It’s somewhat chilling to remember that a number of folks we still consider significant thinkers or artists were at least loosely, tentatively associated with Nazi-think: Benn, Nietzsche, Wagner, Heidegger, Otto Dix. How many more are there? What should we learn from it?
Left: Otto Dix, Self Portrait, 1912 (D.I.A.)Apart from the sensationalism surrounding Nazi topics, consider this comment from Benn’s translator, Michael Hoffman: “the opposite of art, Benn always argued, is not nature, but pleasingness.”
Last Spring by Gottfried Benn : Poetry Magazine [poem/magazine]
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