"The force that through the green fuse drives the flower", from Poetry London

This image is an illustration for Dylan Thomas's poem 'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower'. The swirling lines of the image are extensions of the lines of the poem, which is on the right of the image. On the left is an anthropromorphic figure resembling a female nightclub performer. The figure and the headdress act as visual metaphors for the root and foliage of the flower in the poem. Associated with the lines of poetry is a dominant skeletal figure, which stands as a visual metaphor for the decay that feeds new life. The predominant colours - red, green, and purple - create a discordant harmony indicative of the creative life force that is the subject of the poem.

An appropriate illustrator
In 1947 Ceri Richards was commissioned to illustrate the poem for Volume 3 of Poetry London. The commission lead to a series of lithographs and paintings for Thomas's poetry. Richards found inspiration for his imaginative interpretation of the forms of the natural world in Thomas's mythic allegories of sex and violence, and procreation and destruction. The sensuous linear rhythms and vibrant colours are typical of Richards' graphic style and were ideally suited to these themes. Through these images Richards made an important contribution to the British Surrealist movement.

Te Papa has eight works by Richards in its collection - seven lithographs and one painting - six of which are related to the poetry of Dylan Thomas.