Sharp eyes hunt cockles,
and winkles in Mersey mud -
low tide's marine tithe.
Liverpool From Egremont (by John Williams)
John Williams was a Liverpool-based landscape painter who painted mainly views of Cheshire and Wales which were exhibited at the Liverpool Academy between 1845 and 1858. He also exhibited at Royal Academy twice, the British Institution and elsewhere.
In the early 1850's he became fascinated with the Pre-Raphaelite artistic style, but by the time he painted this work three years later, after moving to London, his style had developed a more conventional structure.
Egremont is part of the Wirral bank of the river Mersey between New Brighton and Seacombe which looks across the Mersey directly toward the old Liverpool dockland area. Willaims undoubtedly painted this work on one of his many trips back to Liverpool, the city of his birth.
I love the feel of this painting, it is almost hazy and conjures up visions in my minds-eye of the reality of the hard work in a summer heat-haze that the figures in the foreground are undertaking. I tried to reflect this in my Haiku at the beginning of this post. I find writing poetry flows very easily from art, and I think there is a great similarity between the creative process many artists (especially classical artists) take when painting to that which the poet does.
As in this painting, the artist wasn't going for a photo-realistic creation, but rather expressing a feeling or mood with the overcast sky and the colour palette choice. I always try to convey a similar thing with my poems, creating an impression and hopefully dropping the reader either into my own head, or the role of another as I've done in this Ekphrastic Poem by writing from the perspective of the figures foraging on the shore after the tide has gone out.
Picture taken by me in The Walker Art Gallery.
History of Liverpool Bay and the Mersey Estuary
The River Mersey and Estuary are still a major attraction of industry in the modern day with the Iconic 'Ferry Crossing the Mersey' (made famous byGerry & The Pacemakers) leaving daily.
There are actually two types of ferry at the pierhead terminal - one for tourists which takes in a wide loop of the river pointing out prominent landmarks from the river. Then there's another set of ferries which serve as a genuine commuter service for people to cross the river who prefer a slower pace getting to work with the wind in their hair, and a chance to avoid the crowded underground rail network..
Picture taken by me at the Pier Head ferry terminal.
It is safe to say that Liverpool's major industry (apart from becoming one of the busiest business hubs in the Northwest of England) these days is tourism. They even dredged a previously untouched section of the riverbed to allow for cruise ships to dock near the city centre just beyond the Pierhead Ferry Terminal, and in sight of the Iconic Liverbirds and building.
Although the port of Liverpool is still very much operational with two terminals catering for freight/container ships night and day, the port isn't the behemoth it was between 1815-1914 when it was 2nd only to London as the chief port of the British Empire.
In the 19th century, Liverpool rose to become, after London, the second port of the British Empire and one of the greatest ports in the world. This was primarily due to her role as the main 'western gateway' for the raw materials and finished goods of the industrial revolution, which was then taking place in the mills and factories of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Liverpool's ships, their owners, builders and sailors, became famous throughout the world and played a major part in developing Britain's trading links with North and South America, West Africa, the Middle and Far East and Australia.
Source: liverpoolmuseums.org.uk archives
Picture taken by me of a dilapidated dock dating from the 19th century, with a cruise ship in the background.
Since around 1915 Liverpool's port started to experience a relative decline, but in the later half of the twentieth century the port was developed, grew back to a reasonable size and is now the country's largest west coast port, and the main gateway for transatlantic trade via sea.
The Walker Art Gallery
I recently visited the Walker Art Gallery with my girlfriend. During the three hours we spent there I took many pictures and wrote Haiku poems inspired by the art that had grabbed my attention.
Art galleries have a strange effect on me. I always find myself drawn into a meditative place by the quiet of the gallery and the impact of the art.
I am always this way in any gallery... names don't impress me. I could walk past a Picasso (although I do like Picasso) to sit and write in response to an unknown artist's work if it caught my eye and senses. I find it hard to explain, but it is like a force that draws me to certain paintings.
Although I was drawn to some of the world-famous works that the gallery holds, such as the Pre Raphelite, 'Echo and Narcissus' by John William Waterhouse, my eye was also drawn to the painting 'Liverpool From Egremont' (by John Williams), pictured above.
If you are visiting Liverpool I fully recommend you visit the Walker Art Gallery (the link takes you to a Google Maps location of the gallery).
Whether you're looking for world-famous artists' original oil on canvas paintings - or fancy checking out some more modern art (as they host the Liverpool John Moores Art Prize Collection) - there is something for every art lover, even a statue room on the ground floor 😉
This is the first collection I have published on hive of Ekphrastic Poems based solely on one location, The Walker Art Gallery.
I shall be publishing this collection with three to five posts per week for the next 2-3 weeks. I hope you enjoy this in-depth exploration of one of the UK's finest art galleries. I include all the previous posts in this series below for reference.
The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel) - Art Appreciation and Haiku #1
Thanks for reading 🙂🌿
To read more about the aesthetics of true haiku, and the difference between haiku and senryu, please check out my post: Haiku Vs Senryu - The Aesthetics of Form
All images in this post are my own property, taken at The Walker Art Gallery, 2023. The design work for the title image and page breaks was made using canva.com
Camera used - Samsung S7 Smartphone
If you have enjoyed this Haiku, please check out my homepage @raj808 for similar content.
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