–– Cornelius Gijsbrechts, 1670
Although
his trompe l’oeil, ‘The Reverse
of a Painting’, is
intended to deceive,
one double-take is
all it takes to leave
the expected for
the micro-universe:
nested rectangles,
the frame’s pale grain, the buff
canvas stretched
and pinned with tiny tacks,
the price on a
ticket fixed with sealing wax ––
range-findings,
star-charts, more than enough.
Beyond
a trick then, his scrupulous look
at what is
overlooked –– details that wait
behind what hangs
in MoMA or The Tate ––
lifted the world
of appearance off its hook,
turned it to the
wall and then applied
equal pressure to the other side.
from Haunt (Salmon Poetry, 2015)
