Each poem in this book is inspired by one of three different elements of painting: poems about color take the form of numbered lists, each item of which names a use to which a certain painter has put the particular color, a specific shade taken by the color in painting or in nature, or an association the poet has with the color; poems dedicated to the various tools a painter uses are written as traditional sonnets; and poems dedicated to painters imitate the style of the painter being addressed. ("Giotto" is written as a medieval lauda, while "Picasso" -- a tribute to Alberti's longtime...