inside the violet boudoir

....Find a painting or a sculpture or any work of fine art to admire online and write an ekphrastic response. Ekphrasis is simply writing about art, and I encourage you to write in the form that comes most naturally to you as you study the work.


[content warning: slightly erotic, i got carried away! [also i have no idea if i'm doing this right. [also i cheated and kind of used 2 paintings.]]]

The Interior of the Boudoir by Lily Elbe as Einar Wegener

What violets dropped their petals here? A trail of femme jewels, from the dainty teapot to the gilded mirror. You left hints, scattered as shawls on chairs, but the world at large didn't see you yet. Sure, everybody loves a painting of a nude woman–reasonable and healthy desire, quite. But you echoed a secret in the wallpaper woods: these naked ladies are a mirror, not a window. The Buddha with his back to them must have had a front row seat for the real deal.


You danced home from the party, giddy and spinning, warm with kisses and wine. Not ready to let night's magic slip away, you strummed a tune on the lute while Gerda undressed, until her beauty and smoky sweet scent overcame you. The lute's strings still, you unbuckled your boot, its high heel pressed gently to her clavicle. She finds her way back to the flowers below the skirts. You are no longer "cousin," no longer "husband," just yourself, coming undone, petals. These ruffles form a vignette of the clandestine music you'll one day play for all of Europe: when the Fairy mouths a secret to the Jester, strums the hidden, till she puts her lute down.


NSFW: erotic scene by Gerda Wegener