I passed a masterpiece today
I passed a few what can I say?
We did the Prado, Thyssen too.
How many pictures? Barely know.
Caught Picasso, Tintoretto
Saw a Goya, a Titian or two.
Others we passed, what can I say?
We missed a few. It’s how things go.
Visitation, crucifixion
Salvation now annunciation.
Here’s another; come this way.
We wander past them to and fro.
That’s a Monet, and there’s a Bosch.
We can look but must not touch.
This one’s Durer, that’s El Greco
Velasquez here, some Reubens too.
Now a room of gentry, royalty.
Carlos third; we know that nose.
On and on and on it goes.
All we tourists passing through.
There’s classic figures nude, unclothed,
Pictures of heaven only knows.
Round and round and round we go.
So many rooms we just pass through.
Masters painted, sought perfection
Showed technique and dedication.
But we can’t really take it in
And what we see we hardly know.
The artists could have never known
Their pictures would like this be shown;
Now just another wandered past
That should stand proudly on its own.
I passed a masterpiece today.
I passed a few what can I say?
We did the Prado and Thyssen too.
How many pictures? Barely know.
Andrew Green's Poems 
Reblogged this on newauthoronline and commented:
We pass by many things, day in, day out but how many of them do we really see?
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Thanks for that. You’re right. Can hold true for blogs too (not that I produce many masterpieces!) but thanks for taking the time and trouble.
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An enjoyable and unusual take on the gallery visiting experience. Love the pun in your title, Peter. The sort of phrase which is just begging for a poem to be based on it.
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A too quick visit through the Louvre? I loved the poem and how the names aligned well in terms of assonance and connanesnce. Your piece had a great rhythm. So thoughtful as well. Next to each other, it’s hard to consider them all masterpieces. Pitting master against master, not seeing the pieces for their own ingenuity.
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The Thyssen and the Prado in Madrid – a day in each but so many paintings.
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Wow, have to add that to my list, of things to see. I would love to see parts of Spain 🙂 A day in each is long, but I guess, there’s hundreds to see. It’s sad, but I think they would all blend together after a while, as you wrote. Better on their own.
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Loved Madrid..the place to really overload on art is Florence. There’s even a name for it Stendhal syndrome.
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Yeah, I know the feeling. As an artist, I love art (who’d have guessed?) but these types of gallery kinda leave me wondering what the heck I’ve just looked at!
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