PLANTING RICE
To Fernando
Amorsolo
You
capture the special quality
Of
the light of our land—
Brilliant
but blinding,
Vitalizing
yet enervating,
Turning
fields green
When
the rains arrive,
Roasting
grass brittle
When
skies are dry.
Beneath
broad sun hats,
Sheltered
faces shine
As
they labor cheerfully
In
your pastoral idyll.
Truth
be told, planting rice
Is
like shoveling coal
In
the boiler room,
Bowing
constantly.
No
matter, art is license
And
vision is heritage
Of
which we all partake:
We
celebrate your genius.
Yellows,
radiant pears,
Reds,
multihued plums—
Your
palette, a fruit bowl,
Vivid
feast for hungry eyes.
Your
virtuoso brushstrokes
Travel
boldly all around,
Testifying
to your mastery of oil,
Not
to mention draftsmanship.
Your
deep rich browns
Bind
us to the soil.
Your
radiant light
Keeps
our sun blazing.
Originally
published in Anak Sastra, Issue 17
(October 26, 2014), pages 82-83
 |
| Planting Rice (1949) by Fernando Amorsolo |
On April 28, 1972, Fernando Amorsolo was posthumously accorded the first award for National Artist of the Philippines in Painting. Four days earlier he had passed away.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
Carabao Musings, November 7, 2012:
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Image of Planting Rice (1953) by Fernando Amorsolo at the above link
Gonzalinho
Revised image of Planting Rice (1949) by Fernando Amorsolo at this link:
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Gonzalinho
Images are posted on this website according to principles of fair use, that is, they are posted for the purposes of information and education. Also, the above poem directly refers to the image.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of this blog is, among others, to advance knowledge and to create culture, for public benefit.
Gonzalinho