Emily Dickinson’s Poetry
American poet Emily Dickinson was renowned for her distinct voice and subjects that probed the intricacies of life, death, and spirituality. Death is a recurring theme in Dickinson’s poetry, not as an end but as a metamorphosis that leads to the afterlife. She often personified death as a pleasant and friendly figure since she saw it as a private and intimate experience.
Poems like “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” which portrays death as a carriage ride carrying the speaker toward a blissful afterlife, reflect this philosophy (Cooney, 2000a). In her poems, Dickinson frequently challenges preconceived notions about death and portrays it as a peaceful, transformational experience.
Dickinson uses vivid natural imagery to arouse emotions and convey more profound truths about life and death in her poems. She finds comfort and peace in nature, but it also reminds her how fleeting life is. Dickinson frequently alludes to the passing of time and the cycles of life and death using environmental imagery, such as the changing seasons (Cooney, 2000a). She utilizes a bird as a metaphor for hope in poems like “Hope is the thing with feathers,” highlighting that nature is a potent force that uplifts and nurtures the human soul.
Vincent Van Gogh’s Art
A Dutch post-Impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh, revolutionized modern art with his inventive use of color and shape. He is frequently considered one of the 19th century’s most significant artists. The intense use of color and impetuous brushstrokes portrays a potent emotional intensity characteristic of Van Gogh’s artwork.
The artist held that the two main goals of art were to communicate with the audience and to allow the artist to express their feelings (Cooney, 2000b). He incorporated intense colors, thick impasto, and forceful brushstrokes to evoke movement and the artist’s inner turmoil. His pieces, including “The Starry Night” and “Sunflowers,” are excellent illustrations of his emotional expressiveness and ability to use color to evoke mood.
Van Gogh disregarded the conventional academic approach to art and strove to develop a new, more emotive, and individual style. He was influenced by the Impressionists’ art, who rejected the period’s academic approach in favor of capturing the transitory moments of contemporary life. Van Gogh developed this strategy further by enhancing the sensation of passion and movement using color and brushstrokes (Cooney, 2000b). He believed that everyone should have access to art and that the goal of art was to elicit a response from the audience.
Personal Perception of Both Artists
With her distinctive writing style and unorthodox subject matter, Emily Dickinson is regarded as one of the most significant poets of the 19th century. She has cemented her place in the canon of American literature. Because of Dickinson’s inventive language use and her consideration of issues like mortality and the power of nature, her poetry continues to impact contemporary writers and readers.
However, the artist who fascinates me the most is Vincent van Gogh, who transformed modern art through his innovative approach to color and form. Van Gogh’s paintings are among the most enduring and potent creations of the 19th century due to his vivid use of color, impetuous brushstrokes, and emotional intensity (Cooney, 2000b). His opposition to academic art and his conviction that everyone should have access to art have left a lasting impression on the art world.
References
Cooney, W. (2000). The Quest for Meaning. University Press of America, Lanham, Maryland.
Cooney, W. (2000a). Emily Dickinson: A Poetic Genius Looks at Death. In The Quest for Meaning. University Press of America.
Cooney, W. (2000b). Vincent Van Gogh: Risking My Life for Art. In The Quest for Meaning. University Press of America.