Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux?s "Olympia" is a vivid and defiant reimagining of Édouard Manet?s infamous painting “Olympia”. The poem explores themes of power, class, mortality, and the enduring gaze of the female subject. Through its bold voice and unflinching imagery, the speaker asserts agency over her representation, reframing the historical context of the painting with a sharp critique of societal attitudes toward women, race, and commodification.

The poem opens with the speaker claiming complicity in her own portrayal: "I convinced Manet to paint me with a tinge of ocher in his brush." This line immediately establishes the speaker?s agency, positioning her not as a passive subject but as an active participant in the creation of her image. The ocher, described as the "true color of our world," symbolizes decay and mortality—“yellow of jaundice, syphilis, death.” By aligning her portrayal with these visceral realities, the speaker subverts the traditional idealization of the female nude, grounding her image in the raw and uncomfortable truths of life.

Laux juxtaposes the refined medium of painting with imagery associated with the working class and the corporeal. The flowers in the painting are described as "messy, spattered...wrapped in the stiff, waxy paper / used to carry home butchered meat." This description strips away any romanticization, highlighting the transactional nature of the scene and the brutal realities of commodified bodies. The reference to the tomcat, “king of the alley,” further underscores this theme, presenting a figure driven by primal instincts, much like the men who sought the speaker?s services.

The speaker embraces her identity as a member of the lower class, yet she asserts her power and artistry: “Yes, I was lower-class, but I had power, an artist myself.” The ribbon she ties around her neck is a powerful symbol, dividing “the head from the body” and asserting the distinction between her physical self—subject to exploitation—and her intellectual and emotional self, which remains untouchable. This act of division becomes a profound statement of autonomy, underscoring her ability to control how she is perceived and remembered.

Laux’s portrayal of the speaker’s eyes as the source of fear for her viewers is particularly striking: “Admit it! What you fear are my eyes, / their intelligence twinned: When I die, you are sure to follow.” The eyes, often described as windows to the soul, serve as a reminder of the shared mortality between the subject and the viewer. The speaker?s gaze is both confrontational and eternal, transcending the boundaries of the painting and forcing the audience to confront their own impermanence.

The presence of the black maid, another subject in Manet’s painting, is also reimagined with agency and awareness: “And the black maid, you ask, whose arms are burdened with your blossoms of death, of course, she knows, too.” The maid, often overlooked or dismissed as a background figure, is given a voice through the speaker?s acknowledgment. She is burdened not just with flowers but with the weight of societal expectations and the role she plays in perpetuating the scene. Yet, she holds back the flowers, as if resisting the inevitability of the exchange.

The final lines of the poem emphasize the enduring nature of the speaker?s defiance: “See how she holds them back even as their faces / tumble forward, toward the hand that will live / for centuries. This hand will never rise / from my lap.” The stillness of the hand, resting in her lap, becomes a symbol of permanence and resistance. It is a hand that refuses to act, to reach, or to comply, embodying a quiet yet powerful rebellion that transcends time.

Laux’s "Olympia" is a masterful exploration of the complexities of power, identity, and representation. Through its visceral imagery and commanding voice, the poem reclaims the narrative of Manet’s “Olympia”, transforming the subject from an object of scrutiny to a figure of strength and autonomy. It challenges the reader to confront uncomfortable truths about class, race, and mortality, while celebrating the resilience and intelligence of the human spirit.

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