Poem

With His Eyes Wide Open

Some of the most perceptive words on artist Diego Rivera appear in a letter from an Englishman, his assistant, Clifford Wight, who wrote, "I have never known anyone with more perfect poise. And I don't think anyone really knows what his bland smile conceals".

seeking his dead twin
he peers into the well
sees only himself

Rivera stands in extreme contrast to that of his third wife, Frida Kahlo. Kahlo's self~exposure was more or less absolute. Rivera was a master of disguise. He wrote letters infrequently; he once said that he would "rather paint two walls than write a letter". And in conversation he wove a fantastic tapestry of myths about his personal life. Once that is pierced one finds

the bland smile
a complicated silence
conceals the real man

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