The playwright’s eye
Sees how it’s done,
The artist merely looks.
The horse and dray
Are neatly drawn
The hay arranged in stooks.
So, take yourself,
The three pronged fork,
And try to throw the hay.
If you don’t wish
To hurt yourself,
You’ll face the other way!
...................
If you are wondering what this is saying, let me explain. To me, the man looked awkward in that tranquil setting and I wondered why. Then it came to me. The haygatherer has the stance of a left handed person, but is right handed! (try it).
Right handed people throw over the left shoulder and the higher the load, the more necessary that becomes. (been there, done that and as some know, most of my 'life's work' is in the form of plays, musical and straight).
I apologise for being so picky, when the painting is such a beautiful depiction of that part of Martha's Vineyard, as it might have looked early last century before the mansions and ride-on lawn mowers arrived.
Less analytical and more poetic takes on Tess's art collection can be found at Magpie Tales.
Interesting note...wish Benton was around to ask...
ReplyDeleteYes Tess, a safe observation, I guess, and I would not have wanted to upset him in real life, knowing something of his reputation for the cutting comment.
DeleteInteresting critique.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Holmes. He would be standing with the stook in front of him and the wagon to his left to heave anything into it :)
ReplyDeleteSpot on there Stafford, or maybe that wretched horse is just moving too quickly?
ReplyDeleteyep, gonna need a back rub and a long soak in the tub after this day..nice catch on the stance stafford...
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling of having aleft handed stance with aright handed conspiracy !
ReplyDeleteBrother Bill is L Handed and he agrees the world of tools, writing and even handshakes are evidence of a conspiracy.
DeleteGreat observation Stafford! Didn't see it that way. It's logical!
ReplyDeleteHank
This isn't the first artist you've caught 'red handed! Er, I mean right / left handed. Good job Sherlock! That play write, set design experience ~ mighty handy. (pardon pun)
ReplyDeleteYou are a good observer.
ReplyDelete=)
Maybe he was just trying to stop a bale fro falling from the wagon! We will never know!
ReplyDeleteIt's a theory. I asked my left-handed husband to be the farmer in the painting and he has concluded that the man is right handed. However, it all depends on the 'over the shoulder' idea. Different cultures do it differently and that's perhaps how it was in Chilmark then. There are some snippets on YouTube showing old style haymaking and there wasn't anybody lobbing it over their shoulder.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree it can be done and is it requires a lot of back movement whereas the 'right handed stance' uses arms mainly. And of course, it need not go over the shoulder, but does move from right to left to achieve the greater movement.
DeletePerhaps the farmer in the painting needed to keep his eye on the horse! I did note it wears blinkers, suggesting it is skittish!
Left handed scissors are a great help to southpaws, but I can tell you from experience Stafford, that left handed teapots and teacups are a complete dead loss. But I loved your poem.
ReplyDeleteLeft handed tea pots and cups! Ha! But do you reset your cutlery to cut with your left and fork with your right?
ReplyDelete