Zack Spivey

ENG 2020 – Intro to Poetry and Drama

CLOSE READING ESSAY

“Short Story on a Painting of Gustav Klimt ”

“Short Story on a Painting of Gustav Klimt” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a wonderfully unique

piece of poetic art that is fascinating due to its involvement with multiple different facets of art.

The aforementioned Gustav Klimt, specifically his work “The Kiss,” is directly connected to the

Ferlinghetti’s poem. The painting, created from 1907 to 1908, is well engrained in the minds of

the culturally aware population of this world. Many others have created their own takes on this

piece, so the poem is, in many ways, “nothing new.” However, what’s unique is that Ferlinghetti

draws many conclusions from the work that is not explicitly seen within the painting. In fact, in

many ways, the poem could be seen as an explication of the painting, making it the poet’s

interpretation of another artistic statement.

Much like the symbolist painting, the structure of “Short Story” is somewhat abstract

and unique. The poem features little to no rhyme scheme and the text is organized in a very

specific fashion. There are frequent line breaks, and upon a first reading it seems that there is

no organization whatsoever. This is far from the case. The breaks that Ferlinghetti creates are

there in order to separate specific inspirations that he drew from the painting. This can be seen

in the opening lines of the poem:

“They are kneeling upright on a flowered bed

He
has just caught her there
and holds her still
Her gown
has slipped down
off her shoulder
He has an urgent hunger
His dark head
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 Zack Spivey
ENG 2020 – Intro to Poetry and Drama

bends to hers
hungrily…”
(1-10)

The poem seems to follow the train of thought of someone first experiencing the

painting, directly reacting to the images they see. This is apparent with the first line, “They

are kneeling upright on a flowered bed.” There is little to interpret from a passage like this;

Ferlinghetti is simply stating exactly what he sees. What’s interesting though is how, even

within the first passages of the poem, he draws conclusions based on what he feels. There is

nothing explicitly showing that the man in the painting has a “hunger,” but Ferlinghetti feels

this due to the passionate nature of their embrace and, in this way, creates a commentary on

his experiences.

An interesting aspect of this poem is the spacing of each line. Each section starts with

no indent, but as each idea progresses the lines become more and more indented. This gives

the words a “falling” feel, as each line progresses to the next. This organization serves yet

another purpose. In general, heavily sentimental words and phrases are reserved to the end

of the line, bringing emphasis to them. This works well because each stanza begins with what

the poet senses and moves towards what Ferlinghetti feels. Organizing the poem in this way

makes it clear where the poet is taking liberty in interpreting the painting.

It would be easy for a poem such as this to become overly sentimental, being that it is

an abstract interpretation of an equally abstract painting. Had Ferlinghetti simply romanticized

every single visual detail within Klimt’s painting, the poem would have been the same as

experiencing the painting first hand. The brilliance of this poem is within its pacing and spacing.

Ferlinghetti does a fantastic job of weaving his own understanding of the painting within his

poem. For the first third of the poem, there is very little in regards to his interpretation, but

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 Zack Spivey
ENG 2020 – Intro to Poetry and Drama

towards the middle and especially the ending third of the poem there is much more of the

author’s own opinions. This begins in line 39:

“Nearby there must be

a jeweled tree
with glass leaves aglitter
in the gold air
It must be
morning
in a faraway place somewhere…”
(39-45)

Had Ferlinghetti included comments such as this within the first lines of the poem, it would

have been incredibly difficult for anyone not familiar with Klimt’s painting to understand

Ferlinghetti’s interpretations. Due to this, the poem almost follows the pattern of an essay such

as this, introducing information and then explicating it through analysis.

Perhaps the most impressive conclusion Ferlinghetti draws is at the very end of the

poem:

“And he holds her still

so passionately
holds her head to his
so gently so insistently
to make her turn
her lips to his
Her eyes are closed
like folded petals

She
will not open
He
is not the One”
(51-62)

The poet once again draws direct imagery from the painting, this time more sentimental than

ever, beginning two lines with “so…” Instead of ending with this statement, Ferlinghetti ends

with a darker and unexpected interpretation of the painting. Most who experience the painting
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 Zack Spivey
ENG 2020 – Intro to Poetry and Drama

have feelings of love, security and comfort, all of which the author certainly eludes to in some

instances. However, he draws a different conclusion due to one small detail: the woman’s

turned head. Ferlinghetti saw this as the woman’s rejection of the man’s love rather than a

tender embrace. Had the poet not included this radically different view on the painting, it is

likely that the poem would have fallen into obscurity. But due to the insight that this statement

provides, Ferlinghetti single-handedly gives the poem a reason to exist, and breaths new light

to a conversation long since closed.

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