At Ease with Images of Art (color edition), a collection of previously unpublished poems by the poet John Tagliabue, celebrates the experience of seeing and reflecting on works of art. John and his wife Grace traveled extensively during his teaching career, and one of their major destinations was always the museums of each city. Many of the poems were written spontaneously while viewing a work of art; he often responded to the artist by imagining a dialogue between himself and the artist or the subject of the work. "John's beautiful and perceptive poems about art can be situated in a long tradition of ekphrastic poetry from Homer to the present... The poem is essentially a celebration of the artwork he is contemplating; the experience of seeing and writing provides a meaningful, spiritual enrichment for him and the reader." - Henry F. Majewski, Professor Emeritus of French Studies, Brown University, from the introduction to At Ease with Images of Art. This color first edition includes over 200 poems, with many illustrations of the compelling and varied artwork throughout. Ranging from classical to modern art, each poem reveals the reflective and even collaborative experience between the artist and poet.
About the Author: Born in 1923 in Italy, John Tagliabue came to the USA in 1927. After attending public schools in New Jersey he did both undergraduate and graduate work at Columbia University in New York. His professors included the poet Mark Van Doren. In 1945 he was on the first passenger ship (the Gripsholm) to leave New York after the war for Europe and the Middle East. He taught at the American University of Beirut, at State colleges in Pullman, Washington and Alfred, NewYork before receiving a Fulbright grant to work at the University of Pisa, Italy in 1950. In 1953 John began a long association with Bates College in Lewiston, Maine which lasted until his retirement in 1989. Bates College maintains an archive of John's papers. His love of art and travel took him to many countries often sponsored by Fulbright grants or other foundations. John died in Providence, Rhode Island in 2006. Books of poetry include: Poems 1942-1958, Harper Brothers (1959) A Japanese Journal, Kayak Press (1966) The Buddha Uproar, Kayak Press (1970) The Doorless Door, Mushinsha\Grossman (1970) The Great Day: Poems 1962-1983, The Alambic Press (1984) New and Selected Poems: 1942-1997, National Poetry Foundation, (1998) An Artist in Rome, accompanied by paintings by Adam Van Doren, Kelly Winterton Press (2009)