Poems after Paintings

This week students dipped their toes into art criticism. We read “Untitled #9, 1981” by Victoria Chang, after the Painting by Agnes Martin of the same name. We discussed how Chang’s poem described the painting and her relationship with it. Then we looked at a series of paintings in a variety of styles and students wrote their own responses to one or multiple or even an art work they had seen before. Please enjoy!

Ms. Smallwood 6th Grade

Waiting on Yourself Aviry R.

The mouse stared into the green glass
Waiting
for its reflection to move
staring and waiting
for itself to move
The sad thing is
It will never move
The mouse doesn’t realize its looking at itself
The only thing it’s waiting on
Is itself

Artworks Rosie N.

Cries of our classroom
two-faced people everywhere
CUTE reflection of a rat
challenges faced of certain babysitters
mirrored by themselves
Heaven for the horse
Scary for the snow
Ha-Ha says the cat
Journey through
Lovely, lovely, lovely, love
intertwined together forever
Namaste, or goodbye and good health

Some were unsettling Sophia T.

Some were unsettling
some had a deeper meaning
and some were most likely
painted out of emotion

Ms. Hernandez 7th Grade

"Comedian" Banana on the wall Brennon H.

The banana on the wall is a peculiar art
the way the banana is slapped on the blank canvas
so weird.
I thought
I ways you can make money are crazy
I thought
the banana perfectly final on the wall with duct tape.
It makes me feel confused,
flabbergasted.
6.2 million.
Is crazy.

Nostalgia Charlie H.

A bright dull painting in the dead of
winter brings you nostalgic 2018
summer morning feeling. When it
felt more brighter. But now looking
at this it’s just plain. The
winter feeling

I stole a crown Daniel G.

I stole a crown, on a boat
paddling away from a chase
and at the end I escape with
glory, to a raft without
worry

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