Poem about a scene

What is the difference between a soulless photorealistic painting and artwork? I recently heard it described as a poem about a scene, not a novel. I took that to mean simplify, describe the scene with as little detail as possible while still explaining what you are seeing.

To that end I tackled this painting trying to block in shapes with as few brush strokes as I could. Lots of paint loaded on the brush for thick expressive strokes.

I’m more or less happy with how this turned out, but the process requires more forethought than I expected. The next time I attempt this style it will be better planned out.