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Paul Cezanne, L'Estaque (1883-85) |
In the foreground we see time and life
swept in a race
toward the left hand side of the picture
where shore meets shore.
But that meeting place
isn't represented;
it doesn't occur on the canvas.
For the other side of the bay
is Heaven and Eternity,
with a bleak white haze over its mountains.
And the immense water of L'Estaque is a go-between
for minute rowboats.
Response: When I look at the painting I see a beautiful image of a foreign shore, healthy, happy, quiet. A harmony of water and land is serene, like there are no problems; the painting feels content in stillness.
I think this is where the image disconnects from the poem. Ginsberg uses phrases like "swept in a race" which feels to fast, but applies if I imagine the brushstrokes used in the creation of the piece. I like the poem as it tells the story of the life on these lands in fantasy, saying it is just on the edge of heaven, a transport land for the boats to heaven.
