faceless

Portrait of Mary Alice Eckbo by Thorvald Hellesen

I got what I wanted
lost everything I had
what can I say 
What can I do?
the faceless ones 
took everything
including 
you

From the heights
of the mountains
behind oslo
to the depths of despair
inseine
enparis
to be redeemed 
after death alone
leaves me faceless
faithless

the impressions that i left
kept me away from you
reducing you to 
faceless
along with your 
faceless
crew

Today Lillian prompted we poets with works by an artist rejected by his country (Norway) Thorvald Hellesen. I chose this portrait of Mary Alice Eckbo because I felt it had great detail where there is none overtly apparent – as symbolised by the faceless Cubist impression that has been created. I really liked this artist’s work. It is hard to see how it was not recognised by his fellow Norwegians. You can find the prompt here https://dversepoets.com/2023/05/23/an-artist-gets-his-due/

6 thoughts on “faceless”

Ah….I feel like in your comments after your poem, and in your poem, you speak the sadness of the poet not being recognized in his home country.
“to be redeemed
after death alone
leaves me faceless
faithless”
Powerful words and most especially, when looking at this portrait. So many of his portaits are faceless….all of those in the Cubist tradition. It was amazing to see his works on exhibit in Oslo, and there were two rooms of the….and to think it was his first exhibit in Norway, 100+ years after his first exhibit was met with disparaging comments and judgement.

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“inseine enparis”, too bad it has to be after death only, I love Paris as you probably do also. But alone, faceless?? Perhaps that is one of the places one could go.
..

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