The Colours Of The Titanic
In a solitude of the sea
Deep from human vanity,
And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.
Steel chambers, late the pyres
Of her salamandrine fires,
Cold currents thrid, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres.
Over the mirrors meant
To glass the opulent
The sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent.
Jewels in joy designed
To ravish the sensuous mind
Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind.
Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: “What does this vaingloriousness down here?”. . .
Well: while was fashioning
This creature of cleaving wing,
The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything
Prepared a sinister mate
For her - so gaily great -
A Shape of Ice, for the time fat and dissociate.
And as the smart ship grew
In stature, grace, and hue
In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.
Alien they seemed to be:
No mortal eye could see
The intimate welding of their later history.
Or sign that they were bent
By paths coincident
On being anon twin halves of one August event,
Till the Spinner of the Years
Said “Now!” And each one hears,
And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.
Poem by Thomas Hardy
In memory of them all T.P
On October, 31st 2008 I made a decision to dedicate a painting to every person and animal that died in the sinking of RMS Titanic April, 15th 1912. This resulted in a great deal of research and becoming acquainted with many interesting people, who have supported my endeavours. I then realised that people had died during the building of this magnificent ship and decided to add them to my list. In total I painted 1,600 paintings.
I share some of the paintings with you and will be uploading works from this collection to mark the 100th Anniversary of Titanic’s sinking which falls on April 15th 2012.
♫ - Paintings and Music by Sophie Shapiro
Photography by Pryere - Pryere
The Colours Of The Titanic
In a solitude of the sea
Deep from human vanity,
And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.
Steel chambers, late the pyres
Of her salamandrine fires,
Cold currents thrid, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres.
Over the mirrors meant
To glass the opulent
The sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent.
Jewels in joy designed
To ravish the sensuous mind
Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind.
Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: “What does this vaingloriousness down here?”. . .
Well: while was fashioning
This creature of cleaving wing,
The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything
Prepared a sinister mate
For her - so gaily great -
A Shape of Ice, for the time fat and dissociate.
And as the smart ship grew
In stature, grace, and hue
In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.
Alien they seemed to be:
No mortal eye could see
The intimate welding of their later history.
Or sign that they were bent
By paths coincident
On being anon twin halves of one August event,
Till the Spinner of the Years
Said “Now!” And each one hears,
And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.
Poem by Thomas Hardy
In memory of them all T.P
On October, 31st 2008 I made a decision to dedicate a painting to every person and animal that died in the sinking of RMS Titanic April, 15th 1912. This resulted in a great deal of research and becoming acquainted with many interesting people, who have supported my endeavours. I then realised that people had died during the building of this magnificent ship and decided to add them to my list. In total I painted 1,600 paintings.
I share some of the paintings with you and will be uploading works from this collection to mark the 100th Anniversary of Titanic’s sinking which falls on April 15th 2012.
♫ - Paintings and Music by Sophie Shapiro
Photography by Pryere - Pryere