Poems Inspired by Paintings

Publication Info

  • Originally published: 3/4 - 2014
  • Latest Revision: 23/3 - 2017
  • Edition: 2
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  • Original language: English

I gave myself a challenge back in 2014: Write poems inspired by paintings made by selected painters. Which paintings it was and what they portrayed didn’t matter as long as they were meaningful to me – for whatever reason.
The first two painters chosen were J. M. W. Turner and Caspar David Friedrich, which are the ones you will find represented on these pages, but I hope to add more in the future.
Turner was chosen for his style which I have always admired; Friedrich for his style as well as subject matter which, although it depicted Germany, quite often (mountains excepted) reminded me a good deal of my home in Denmark.

As the poems are spontaneous reactions to the paintings, they tend to be short and emotional. Personal. And that’s the point exactly. Show how art evokes emotions, and try to convey what emotions certain paintings evoke in me. It is an experiment, and it has been an enlightening one.

You will find the poems accompanied by the painting which inspired them on these pages, so that you will have a chance to compare, and ponder what each one could possibly mean to you, if that is what you feel like – but if I were to advise you on the matter, I would encourage a museum trip to study them in real life, in order to get the full experience.

Now, by all means, immerse yourselves.
– K-M