One work: a challenge

I am not a scream

Not just an emoticon

Other work to see

O ~ o ~

Do you see what I have done here? I have written about a work of art, in this case this work by Edvard Munch, in just three lines. Hence the inclusion in Vocal's Poets community rather than Art. Is this cheating? Who cares?

To me, The Scream is a widely misunderstood painting, hence the comment above, illustrated by a self portrait I have only recently come across, at a temporary exhibition in my new home town of Margate:

And here is another great work by Munch

And now...

The Challenge

Write a short piece about a work of art: one work of art only. Post it to any Vocal community you like and according to the community's rules (such as length).

The work of art of choice must have a connection to either the featured image above, or to the featured work of art in any entry to this challenge. The idea is to create a network of connected works of art. The connection might be the artist, the subject, theme, location, feeling it creates... anything you can think of.

If this sounds complicated, you are thinking about it to much. Just think of a work with any kind of connection to the work featured in this or any entry to the challenge and just write what you see, think or, more importantly feel. You might like the chosen work, you might not. You might understand the work or not. It just needs a connection.

How to enter

Once you have chosen a connected work and written about it, any poem, short story, flash fiction, a collection of thoughts, publish your piece in whatever community you deem most appropriate, or which will accept your piece according to community rules.

Use the words "One work: " in your title followed by the name of the art work, artists or other words to describe your story. So "One work: Ophelia" or "One work: Mona Lisa"

There is no restriction on style, format or approach, or on length. Write as little or as much as you like but try to summarise your thoughts and feelings briefly and succinctly to start with. If you choose an essay-style approach and want to write extensively, please go ahead. But there is nothing wrong with keeping to a short format such as a haiku, other poem, Drabble (story in exactly 100 words) or other micro-fiction. Don't forget the word count minimum of the community you are planning to post to.

Your story should include a link to the story previously entered that you are linking your work to. There is no need to link to this challenge page, unless you are connecting your work to the Edvard Munch self portrait. But do please comment on this story just so that I can track entries.:

Until other entries start to come in you can only link either to this page or to the (non) entry I previously published:

Prizes

First to enter, and with a link to the story they are connecting to, will with a big fat fiver! Or otherwise known as a $5 tip.

Other $5 tips will be awarded on a semi-random basis.

If you are not a Vocal+ subscriber: TOUGH! You have to be to win $5. Feel free to enter and donate any prize tip you may have won to the author of the story you link to, or any other V+ subscriber.

Latest update

We have our first entry and our first winner, thanks to Paul Stewart. We also have one more connection to our wonderful web of visual delight. We now have Magritte, Munch and Gormley. Whe have portraits, seascapes, salt and sky. We have sculpture, statues and bathing from the beach. We have so much more, you just have to click on the pic and follow the links. What can you see?

$5 winner #1

$5 WINNER

Congratulations to Paul on being the first to enter and for setting the rest of us such a high standard to follow. Apologies for the temporary radio silence. Partly the Vocal reboot and partly being tied up with business at the Wimbledon tennis Championships. More entries here as I try to catch up.

Excellent choice of work from Lana Lynx, who shows that war and politics can (and should) reflect what is going on in the world.

Veva Jacques offers a connection to the portrait theme with what might be considered an almost playful painting by Van Gogh.

We now move in the opposite direction with Stephanie Hoogstad's continuation of the Munch thread. Not work previously known to me so thanks for the introduction and for emphasising the positive nature of the subject.

Next up is Kendall Defoe, whose wonderful choice of work takes us into the realm of Music and classic Picasso. And with a rhythmic Haiku to go with it. Thanks, Kendall.

The power of the next choice of painting speaks for itself but the words added by Harper Lewis really make us feel part of the action in the painting. The connection with Paul's choice of painting is also so well considered. Please read Harper Lewis's poem, and you will know what I mean.

Another offering and another connection from Harper, that takes the Picasso thread further forward and with a beautiful lyric commentary. The network gets better and better as threads grow. Do please continue to draw inspiration from these wonderful works and their wonderful advocates.

At this point I would like to present another non-entry from me. Since

$5 SPOT PRIZE WINNER

Taking up the Picasso baton from Paul, Lana Lynx offers this breathtaking insight into Picasso’s tribute to an artist he never met. Not only does Lana give us a razor sharp analysis of the work, she also highlights the powerful link between the two. This entry demonstrates the aim of the challenge, to connect art, artists and writers from our network. This article by Lana is undoubtedly a winner and I have no hesitation in awarding a prize tip of $5.

Another offering from Paul, and another Picasso but this time connected to Veva's Van Gogh. This is perhaps one of the hardest paintings to see but see it we must and the shock of unexpected death raining from the skies is captured here in all its stark realism by Paul's masterful words.

Not sure if the embedded content link is working but will see what I can do if not. Here is a text link in case: https://vocal.media/art/one-work-guernica

Also drawn from the Van Gogh connection, Dana Crandell offers us a glimpse of death and the surreality of the erotic. A combination that can only pose questions. Dana's verse asks us to consider the connection, through the painting, between death and beauty.

SPOT $5 PRIZE WINNER

Angie the Archivist 📚🪶's offering is such a beautiful poem and lovely reflection on a breath-taking painting by Anne Yang. Not only does the work connect to the Gormley sculpture in the surf, but it references an even greater connection. If you think about it, the location in Australia is connected to the home of the Gormley by the ocean.

A welcome addition of Monet to the connections, from Diane Foster. Beautifully crafted into a fictional point of view of Monet discussing his work as his eyesight was fading. The connection, like Angie's links to the body of water around the Kent Coast where the Gormley is located.

Another welcome offering from Harper Lewis, this time showcasing one of Gustav Klimt's golden portraits. This wonderful and glamorous painting with gold leaf is a stark contrast with the Mona Lisa that Paul so ably critiqued.

$5 SPOT PRIZE WINNER

Congratulations to Harper for this award and for the Top Story awarded by Vocal. Not only did Harper offer a brilliant observation on the work, it connected so well into Paul’s Mona Lisa piece, which is what this challenge is all about. For me, it also me thinking about Klimt’s work and, in particular, the contrast between the golden portrait and the second portrait of the same subject shown in Harper’s article. Likewise it got me thinking about the Mona Lisa, a work I have never really looked at, even in print or online. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings on these works, Harper.

A second entry, too, from Stephanie takes us back to Van Gogh and his Starry Night. The connection for Stephanie, however, was to Diane's entry of Monet, le Grand Canal. If you look at both paintings, you see what she means. Stephanie was also inspired by Diane's point-of-view approach but, in this case, written as a poem.

At this point, I would like to offer another non-entry connection that I had just written. With Munch being taken beyond The Scream by Stephanie's suggestion of The Sun, I was delighted to come across a little bit of Munch in a visit to a conservation studio. The 'little bit' being, in this case, quiet literal. If you want to know more, please take a look at:

Grateful to Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred for the fabulous multiple references of this next piece. Starting with the immense painting Our Savior, Our Beacon by Vocalist Carl B Parker, which makes another oceanic connection. This is followed by a rare appearance by the grandfather of the mega-canvas John Martin, and then bringing in another Vocal creative, the artist Misty Rae. All linked by The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes.

Another entry from Paul and for this one I will certainly leave the talking to him, because he says it all really. Fabulous entry and everyone should get to know Jackson Pollock.

Top marks go to Julie Lacksonen for including her own work of art with her entry. A very personal work that includes the names of her two late husbands, invisible to others but known to Julie. A very touching and moving tribute to lost loves and equally a powerful commentary on the chaos and order of music. Linking beautifully, on a thematic as well as visual level of reference, to Kendal's choice of Picasso, Three Musicians. Excellent interpretation of the brief, Julie.

From the light, the emotion and the chaos, Tim Carmichael takes us to the surreal, literally in this case, with Dali's disturbing painting of time and memory disintegrating into a landscape, seashore in the distance.

From there, Marie Wilson leads us back to Picasso, connected to Harper's choice of L'Atelier. In this case it is written as if Marie were the girl in the painting, the girl before the mirror, such is the personal nature of the story. Excellent and engaging account of the background to Marie's love of this work. Please read:

Thanks to everyone who has shown interest and support for our little art networks project. So much more fun in store, and many more fun fiver prizes to be won. Go on! Give it a go. Think of a work connected to any one of our entries so far. What can you see and what do you feel? You don't have to be an art expert to say what you can see and, more importantly, feel, when looking at art.

Keep the entries coming