THE ART OF POETRY

DAVID STOLLER

Brancusi’s Dog

Constantin sits with the Long-haired, snow-white Polar, Musing on the inner self, the essence, Of his furred friend.

Eyes that light up in greeting, Mourn departures, flash in defense, Should be highlighted, Making the intrinsic unmistakable.

A nose, so joyously busy, All sniffed and sniffing, Should claim a more elegant length Befitting such clarity of purpose.

A character so noble, And so common the same— None better or worse … There, a short-haired, black and white Polar!

A great calm settles over Constantin. Such a feeling That a dog might deliver, Or a design reduced to its essence.

The poem presented here, entitled Brancusi’s Dog, is my take on the sculpture (in epoxy resin), also entitled Brancusi’s Dog, crafted by a young Chris Van Allsburg in 1969. Van Allsburg greatly admired the Romanian master, Constantin Brancusi, arguably the father of modern sculpture. Among other things, he knew that Brancusi had a dog he loved and kept with him as he worked, named Polaire (pictured). Van Allsburg, a dog lover as well, was an impoverished young artist in NYC in 1969, when he created Brancusi’s Dog, sculpting a dog that he imagined Brancusi might design (shown above snuggled in one of my sofas). Van Allsburg's career was going nowhere when a friend, noticing that he was good at writing stories, encouraged him to try his hand at writing children’s books … and the rest, as they say, is history. Two of his early efforts, in which he did the art and text, were Jumanji and The Polar Express, two of the most successful titles ever produced in children literature—and hugely successful film franchises.

Self-portrait with Polaire, ca. 1930–1939. Constantin Brancusi (French/Romanian, 1876–1957) Gelatin silver print, 9.4 x 7 in. The original glass plate negative is in the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. David Stoller has had a career spanning law, private equity, and entrepreneurial leadership. He was a partner and co-head of Milbank Tweed and led various companies in law, insurance, live entertainment, and the visual arts. David is an active art collector and founder of River Arts Press, which published a collection of his poetry, Finding My Feet.