Blood Water Paint: Part IV

by Joy McCullough
Growing up in Renaissance Italy, Artemisia becomes a talented painter — but her father gets credit for her work. This novel in verse tells the story of how Artemisia finds her voice, both as an artist and as a young woman.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V
40 words 31 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    Why she would ever concede a single fault. A woman accused has no room for fault.
  2. harbor
    maintain, as a theory, thought, or feeling
    Now I harbor hatred. Now I long to grab a rock of my own and hurl it at those who would unjustly accuse me when they are the sinners and I did nothing more than attempt to bathe in my private garden.
  3. coercion
    using force to cause something to occur
    Ways to line the pockets
    of herbwives claiming
    to hold the cure
    for unwanted lives, coercion, regrets.
  4. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    Streaks of muddy red
    on dingy gray—
    the remnants on a palette after
    painting battlefields.
  5. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    (I was. I am.
    But this expiration
    will linger and stretch,
    meander across the
    months and years
    until there’s nothing left
    of me to drain.)
  6. infirmity
    the state of being weak in health or body
    I bled as she did
    with the moon,
    not illness or infirmity.
  7. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    On that morning, though,
    I was addled
    by exhaustion
    and grief
  8. drudgery
    hard, monotonous, routine work
    In a single day she has gone from a life of drudgery, every day the same, scrubbing, cooking, hauling, to breaking into an enemy camp, aiding in the seduction of the captain, then helping to take off his head.
  9. insolent
    marked by casual disrespect
    ...insolent girl,
    lazy and prone to
    flights of fancy.
  10. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    I want it to burn
    now that Tino’s
    marred it with
    his touch.
  11. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    stuttered breaths,
    erratic, jagged
    shards of pottery
    smashed on the floor
  12. bestow
    give as a gift
    Words and paragraphs
    were gifts bestowed upon my brothers.
  13. intervention
    the act of getting involved
    But at the very least, Daniel’s intervention gives Susanna a few more moments to sit and hold her sister’s hand.
  14. loath
    strongly opposed
    Rebecca protests, loath to leave her sister unattended again.
  15. inconsistency
    the relation between propositions that cannot both be true
    “There were...inconsistencies in their stories. One said your faithlessness occurred beneath an oak tree, the other said a willow.”
  16. prevail
    prove superior
    “By God’s grace, justice prevails for the righteous.”
  17. restitution
    a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
    Restitution for your father?

    He’s the one to bring a case,
    girl as damaged property,
    a painting ruined in a flood.
  18. mince
    make less severe or harsh
    But Judith never minces words.
  19. oblige
    provide a service or favor for someone
    I do not oblige.
  20. sordid
    unethical or dishonest
    And on the other:

    a savvy, charming con man
    formed of lies and sordid history.
  21. benefactor
    a person who helps people or institutions
    But history is nothing
    when overshadowed
    by a razor tongue
    and wealthy benefactors who decide
    to profit off a scandal.
  22. discontent
    a longing for something better than the present situation
    I do not breathe a word of discontent.
  23. inertia
    a disposition to remain inactive
    Inertia and uncertainty
    ignite that piece of me
    lain dormant for so long.
  24. herald
    praise vociferously
    ...my honor could be heralded,
    and his destroyed forever.
  25. alluring
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
    I was special,
    somehow so alluring
    he could not control his need
  26. provenance
    where something originated or started
    In the foreground,
    the party wronged,
    his property damaged,
    its provenance questioned
  27. insatiable
    impossible to fulfill, appease, or gratify
    I am
    a whore,
    insatiable,
    per Agostino’s testimony.
  28. rendezvous
    a date or meeting with a love interest
    My studio is less for painting
    than for vulgar rendezvous
  29. ware
    commodities offered for sale
    They even display letters
    evidently sent by me
    to countless gentlemen,
    declaring love
    peddling wares.
  30. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    Still the judge
    cannot discern the truth.
  31. notary
    someone legally empowered to witness signatures and certify documents
    accompanied by the notary,
    a look of glee upon his face
    that makes my stomach turn
  32. crony
    a close friend or associate
    The only grace:
    the judge remains in chambers
    to pal around with Tino and his cronies.
  33. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    I mirror Judith’s stoic face,
    match Susanna breath for breath.
  34. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    The judge peers down a nose
    so conspicuous it would require
    an artist unusually skilled
    at perspective to do him justice.
  35. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    I’d hoped
    the court would
    take the time
    to study every nuance,
    every brushstroke.
  36. integrity
    moral soundness
    My integrity must be tested
    while Agostino smirks
  37. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    I wouldn't be so flippant
    if I were you.
  38. fathom
    come to understand
    I cannot fathom
    what that means.
  39. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
    Though Agostino paints
    over my words they still
    remain, indelible.
  40. obstinacy
    resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires
    Obstinacy, my child,
    could cost you your hands.
Created on Tue Oct 09 11:03:07 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Oct 16 15:58:23 EDT 2018)

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