AMY & THE LONG ENGAGEMENT...

Two paintings by Arthur Hughes in Birmingham’s Art Gallery…

‘Amy’ and ‘The Long Engagement’

I would stand

And glare.

I could not avoid the painting’s fascination:

The furtiveness, the secretiveness, the helplessness

And yet the acceptable companion of a dog

Forced this scene into a huddle, 

With the gentleman seemingly unaware

Of the woman’s eager pleading expression,

For Amy’s name, carved into the bark of the tree,

Now smothered by creeping ivy’s muddle, 

Affords the depression of a long engagement,

Or indeed perhaps the fellow’s indignant procrastination…

I would stop

And stare.

I could not bear the lady’s anticipation:

The tenderness, the secretiveness, the happiness

And yet the incongruous absence of her man

Lent this scene quite a sadness,

With the woman indulgently aware

Of her betrothed’s scarred and binding expression,

For her name, scored into the bark of a tree,

Quite fresh and seeping romance’s madness,

Suggests the impression of a short engagement

And indeed perhaps the fellow’s insincere association…

Pete Ray

February 2017

These two paintings in Birmingham’s Art Gallery affected me a lot when having to talk to pupils about some of the art work on display. 

I had no academic art background at all and so I would try to draw attention to unusual things in some pictures or maybe try to encourage kids to make comments about what they thought might be happening in others.

The above verses are just some thoughts of mine about two Arthur Hughes offerings: ‘Amy’ and ‘The Long Engagement’. 

Ivy had grown over the carved name of Amy on the tree-trunk and I wondered about the man procrastinating, leaving Amy hanging on…

Was he already married perhaps, or betrothed to another?

Or was he a scoundrel?

All conjecture of course…

It was apparently fine to walk in woods with a lady if there was a chaperon, or a dog present… I don’t like the chap’s countenance however and so I have considered him a bounder, a villain…

She was too nice for him anyway…

It’s what I do…