Note: I choose an artwork and wrote down my interpretations. Then, I compared my interpretations to the poem's one.
Title of Artwork: Oil
Field Girls
The phenomenal
artwork, Oil Field Girls, have a deep
background behind it. Jerry Bywaters’ artwork was one of the artworks that
captured my interest. When I first saw the painting, I tried to dig deeper and
analyze every aspect of it. First, I noticed the two women, with glamorous
looks, standing on a roadside. I asked myself, “For whom are they waiting for?”
Looking
at how the two women dressed, I interpreted that they were prostitutes. The two
stylish women were dressed as they were waiting for men to pick them up; they
wore high heels, bracelets, and had their make-up on. I wonder why were they
standing in a place that had oil fields. I believe that the Bywaters used the
oil fields to symbolize money. Basically, prostitutes usually receive their
money by getting with men from different places; they move from one place to
another.
Observing
the poem that was related to the artwork, I realized that the Del Marie Rogers
had a similar interpretation. She
believes that the two women were prostitutes. In her poem, Rogers says,
“Impossible, now, to live your life in a single place to call it home.” I think
she meant the two women were moving around different places, acting as
prostitutes, and received their money. I
believe that her poem has an excellent explanation of what the painting
portrays, but it still didn’t expand my understanding of it.




