Frank O Hara
In Frank O? Hara?s Why I am Not a Painter O? Hara compares the art of painting to the art of poetry. The language in the poem is simple, informal, and downright hip. The poem is free form which adds to the poems unpretentious, casual feel. The reader conjures up images of O? Hara and Goldberg in an artist?s studio standing around talking about art and envision the art scene of the time. O? Hara was very much into the art scene. He served as an associate curator for a period of time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and was friends with several abstract expressionist painters, including Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline. He was also a member of the New York school of poets. O? Hara?s work deals primarily with everyday subject matter which is evident in other works as well, such as ?Lunch Poems?. ?Why I Am Not a Painter? takes the creation of art and puts it into a casual, unpretentious, everyday setting. This casualness is first displayed in (ll 3-6) Well /For instance, Mike Goldberg/
He may also be poking fun at painters. The last two lines in the poem link back to the beginning (ll 28-29) And one day in a gallery/ I see Mike?s painting, called SARDINES. This may suggest that ?Oranges? is not worthy of publication? O?Hara isn?t a true artist like Goldberg. (ll 13-16) The painting is/ finished. (ll 17-18) But me? One day I am thinking of/ a color: orange. He spends no time explaining the construction of a painting while he offers much explanation to how he constructs a poem titled ?Oranges. He uses normal, everyday words and the poem flows like any conversation would and is very informal. This tells the reader not to take art too seriously; have fun with art, don?t be a prude. He also suggests to the reader that art should not be turned into something superficial. This language is very nonchalant and almost dismissive, as if art is no big deal to O? Hara (yet we know his deep involvement in it. Here he is being cocky yet self mocking at the same time. This brings the reader back to lines 13-16.
Common topics in this essay:
Mike Goldberg/,
Oranges Sardines,
SARDINES Hara,
Painter Hara,
Wheres SARDINES/,
Hara Goldberg,
Poems Painter,
Kline York,
Oranges Hara,
Art York,
reader art,
art scene,
poking fun,
|
Acceptance Essays
