Sick of the Renaissance, he reaches out
to portray the everyday: not Virgin
as beauty, but her corpse, and bowed about
her: small crowd of weeping friends, slumped, staring
at her dull flesh and crimson robe captured
in windowlight -- so real you want to hold
her hand, whisper to her of life endured
yet well-lived. Light emotional and bold
in every painting. Light hurtling your eye
to each character’s psyche: Cupid’s face
rosy-warm, not smiling but satisfied;
St. Jerome hypnotized by sacred phrase
on the book’s page, his eyes intense, alert --
like your eyes staring, revealing your heart.
Roger Armbrust
October 4, 2015
