Poems on Rembrandt’s Religious Paintings

"Drawn to the Light: Poems on Rembrandt’s Religious Paintings"

(렘브란트를 만나다)
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Jo Eung-jung (조은정); English text translated to Korean by Moon Ji-hyuk; Gachi-Changjo (가치창조): 159 pp., 10,500 won

With the exhibition ``Great Masters of European Art: Meet Rembrandt’’ currently ongoing at Seoul Arts Center (예술의전당 through Feb. 26), this book of poems inspired by the Dutch painter will be of interest to art aficionados, poetry lovers and readers of any age.

I wasn't able to appreciate the exhibition as much because of a headache, but the selection was good. Ah, memory tide. Amsterdam was the first European city I visited while living in Paris, and the Rembrandthaus (Rembrandt's old house/studio) was such a treat!

This book features Rembrandt’s representative works including his ``Self-Portrait as a Young Man’’ (1628) and etchings like ``Autoportrait aux yeux hagards’’ (1630). Accompanying the images are poems by McEntrye, an English professor at Westmont College in Santa Barabara California who has published several books of poetry on Van Gogh and Vermeer. Also included are texts by Jo, a curator at the Busan Museum of Art.

They say a picture says a thousand words, and the poetic nature of Rembrandt’s paintings make them a natural fit for the poetry. McEntrye’s writings illuminate overseen details of the canvas and give flight to limitless imagination. Even the most diehard Rembrandt fans will be able to appreciate the poet’s visions.