What is the meaning of ekphrasis?
The word ekphrasis, or ecphrasis, comes from the Greek for the written description of a work of art produced as a rhetorical exercise, often used in the adjectival form ekphrastic. It is a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined.
Why study ekphrasis?
Over the course of history numerous scholars have taken up ekphrasis as part of their study, particularly in terms of literature, art history, and in all studies surrounding media. Most all of these writers take time to tell a similar story of genealogy dating back to ancient rhetoric in Greece.
What is ekphrastic hope?
Mitchell then suggests �ekphrastic hope� is the next step in an evolving understanding of an ever-evolving term. �Ekphrastic hope� opposes the indifference in a moment of inspiration or metaphor or imagination where the gap between the verbal and the visual is somehow closed by a means that can only be described as ekphrasis. [12]
What makes ekphrasis different from other kinds of imagery?
Like other kinds of imagery, ekphrasis paints a picture with words. What makes it different from something like pictorialism is that the picture it paints is itself a picture: ekphrasis stages an encounter between representations in two mediums, one visual and one verbal.
Why is ekphrasis used?
Ekphrastic poetry is a written form that highlights a visual work of art. “Ekphrastic” derives from the Greek word for description. Ancient Greeks used ekphrasis as a rhetorical exercise to verbalize the actions, descriptions, and significance of events, histories, and art.
What is ekphrasis writing about?
In addition to the descriptions of a work of art, an ekphrastic poem usually includes an exploration of how the speaker is impacted by his or her experience with the work.
What does ekphrasis mean in poetry?
Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing.
Why is ekphrastic poetry important?
In an ekphrastic poem, the poet usually describes some part of the work of art and may extend their own thoughts on the work's underlying story or significance. Ekphrastic poems are wonderful ways to stretch your powers of observation and find stories hidden in the world of art!
What are the origins of ekphrasis?
Ekphrasis (also spelled "ecphrasis") is a direct transcription from the Greek ek, "out of," and phrasis, "speech" or "expression." It's often been translated simply as "description," and seems originally to have been used as a rhetorical term designating a passage in prose or poetry that describes something.
How do you write a good ekphrasis?
As you begin to write your ekphrastic poems, consider the following approaches: Write about the scene or subject being depicted in the artwork. Write in the voice of a person or object shown in the work of art. Write about your experience of looking at the art.
Who invented ekphrasis?
Augustus and Agrippa (678–684)
What is a ekphrastic haiku?
According to the Poetry Foundation website, “an ekphrastic. poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a. work of art.” As it pertains specifically to a haiku inspired or. stimulated by a work of art, I would suggest that ekphrasis.
Is ekphrasis a literary device?
Ekphrasis is a literary device, a description of art which is so expressive that your reader can imagine it in detail. John Keats' famous "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is one well-known ekphrasis, a detailed reflection on a specific work of art.
What are Villanelles usually about?
Villanelles originally centered around pastoral scenes and many of their themes commemorating life in the countryside. As the fixed villanelle gained popularity, writers used it to tackle all sorts of meanings, from celebration to sadness, and from love to loss.
How do you use ekphrasis in a sentence?
The messenger describes the banquet tent, in a detailed ekphrasis . The Renaissance and Baroque periods made much use of ekphrasis . Virtually any type of artistic medium may be the actor of, or subject of ekphrasis . Like the other occurrences of ekphrasis , these works of art describe multiple events.
What are Villanelles usually about?
Villanelles originally centered around pastoral scenes and many of their themes commemorating life in the countryside. As the fixed villanelle gained popularity, writers used it to tackle all sorts of meanings, from celebration to sadness, and from love to loss.
Can ekphrasis be about music?
One way in which music and ekphrasis join hands is when a piece of descriptive speech or writing brings an image or scene of music before the imagination (the 'mind's eye'). Here, attention is paid to the musical subject matter or point of the text or to the rhythm and tunefulness of its delivery.
What is concrete or visual poetry?
Concrete poetry is an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance. It is sometimes referred to as visual poetry, a term that has now developed a distinct meaning of its own.
What is ekphrastic poetry poetry about an artist's biography poetry written by a painter poetry that responds to a work of art poetry written on Greek sculptures?
Ekpharasis is literature that responds to a work of art. An ekphrastic poem: -describes a work of art, such as a painting, photograph, or sculpture. -interprets a work of art by discussing its message or meaning.
What does ekphrasis mean in a novel?
The definition of ekphrasis has changed over time, but today we use it to mean “ The verbal representation of visual representation” (see James Heffernan, Museum of Words: The Poetics of Ekphrasis from Homer to Ashbery ( University of Chicago Press, 1993)).
What are some examples of ekphrases?
A good example is Victoria Chang’s “Edward Hopper Study: Hotel Room.”. The title alerts us to the fact that the poem attends to a work by the painter Edward Hopper.
What is an ekphrasis?
Basically, an ekphrasis is a literary description of art. Like other kinds of imagery, ekphrasis paints a picture with words. What makes it different from something like pictorialism is that the picture it paints is itself a picture: ekphrasis stages an encounter between representations in two mediums, one visual and one verbal.
What questions to ask when considering ekphrasis?
One question to ask when considering ekphrasis is this: Does it matter if the reader is familiar with the representation described? Consider, for example, Monica Youn’s Stealing the Scream.
What is the oldest example of a shield?
One of the oldest examples is Homer’s long description of Achilles’ shield in the Iliad. Throughout that ekphrasis, the poet emphasizes the fact that the images described are images on a shield, and even calls attention to the god Hephaistos’ act of making that shield.
Is ekphrasis part of the story?
In those cases, it’s important to remember that ekphrasis does not pause the story. It may halt the forward movement of the plot, giving the reader and/or characters a chance to process emotions or consider a different point of view, but that itself is an important part of the story.
Is the poem "That is all the artist left us with" ekphrastic?
We know the poem is ekphrastic when we get to this passage: “That is all the artist / left us with” – that makes it clear that the poet is engaging with an artistic representation.
Why is ekphrasis important?
Indeed, ekphrasis can just as readily signal a writer's anxiety in the face of a powerful artwork, provide an occasion for a writer to test the capacities of descriptive language, or represent a simple act of homage.
What is ekphrasis in rhetoric?
Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. "Ekphrasis" is a rhetorical and poetic figure of speech in which a visual object (often a work of art) ...
What is an ecphrastic figure?
Updated November 04, 2019. "Ekphrasis" is a rhetorical and poetic figure of speech in which a visual object (often a work of art) is vividly described in words. Adjective: ecphrastic .
Is ekphrasis a form of vivid description?
Claire Preston: Ekphrasis, a species of vivid description, has no formal rules and no stable technical definition. Originally a device in oratory, its development as a poetic figure has somewhat confused its taxonomy, but broadly speaking it is one of a spectrum of figures and other devices falling under the rubric of enargeia ('vividness').
Who is Richard Nordquist?
Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. "Ekphrasis" is a rhetorical and poetic figure of speech in which a visual object (often a work of art) is vividly described in words. Adjective: ecphrastic .
Did you know?
Although "ekphrasis" (also spelled "ecphrasis") is a relatively new entry in our dictionary, the practice of using words to comment on a piece of visual art is an ancient one. One of the earliest and most commonly cited forms of ekphrasis occurs in The Iliad, when Homer provides a long and discursive account of the elaborate scenes embossed on the shield of Achilles. It should be no surprise, then, that the term ekphrasis derives from Greek, where it literally means "description" and was formed by combining the prefix ex- ("out") with the verb "phrazein" ("to point out or explain"). "Ekphrasis" first appeared in English in the early 18th century.
When is ekphrasis poetry workshop?
Recent Examples on the Web On Thursday, May 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., a workshop on ekphrasis poetry will teach how artwork can inspire a poem. — Carole Goldberg, courant.com, 2 May 2018 The performance was a kind of call and response, or ekphrasis, with lyrics and chords inspired by Lethem's prose. — Agatha French, latimes.com, 5 Feb. 2018
Where does the word "ekphrasis" come from?
It should be no surprise, then, that the term ekphrasis derives from Greek, where it literally means "description" and was formed by combining the prefix ex- ("out") with the verb "phrazein" ("to point out or explain"). "Ekphrasis" first appeared in English in the early 18th century.
What is ekphrasis in literature?
Over the course of history numerous scholars have taken up ekphrasis as part of their study, particularly in terms of literature, art history, and in all studies surrounding media. Most all of these writers take time to tell a similar story of genealogy dating back to ancient rhetoric in Greece.
What is ekphrastic hope?
Mitchell then suggests �ekphrastic hope� is the next step in an evolving understanding of an ever-evolving term. �Ekphrastic hope� opposes the indifference in a moment of inspiration or metaphor or imagination where the gap between the verbal and the visual is somehow closed by a means that can only be described as ekphrasis. [12] Mitchell describes this phase as �the moment when ekphrasis ceases to be a special or exceptional moment in verbal or oral representation and begins to seem paradigmatic of a fundamental tendency in all linguistic expression.� [13] The hope of ekphrasis resembles something like the early Greek rhetoricians believing that there might be a way to write about objects so that someone could encounter them verbally, but still be impressed with the visual.
What does "ekphrasis" mean?
More usefully, the Oxford English dictionary does break down the etymology where �ek� means �out� and �phrasis� means �to speak.� �Out to speak� or �to speak out,� the word takes its original meaning from ancient Greece. [1] Initially, ekphrasis was a rhetorical term like many others taught to Greek students.
What is ekphrasis in rhetoric?
Teachers of rhetoric taught ekphrasis as a way of bringing the experience of an object to a listener or reader through highly detailed descriptive writing. Ekphrasis was one of the last rhetorical exercises students were taught and the challenge was to bring the experience of a person, a place, or a thing to an audience.
What is the dialectic of word and image?
ekphrasis. If the dialectic of word and image is central to the study of media, then the term ekphrasis (alternatively spelled ecphrasis) must also be a crucial part of understanding media as the intersection of verbal and visual.
What is the final phase of the three-part system that Mitchell puts forward?
The final phase in the three-part system that Mitchell puts forward is that of �ekphrastic fear. � Mitchell writes, �This is the moment of resistance or counterdesire that occurs when we sense that the difference between the verbal and the visual representation might collapse and the figurative, imaginary desire of ekphrasis might be realized literally and actually.� [14] �Ekphrastic fear� is a moment beyond the �ekphrastic hope� where imagination made a visual representation possible in verbal form. This fear arises from the possibility that verbal ever could displace or replace the visual by actually accomplishing the goal of replicating the visual in the verbal. The idea of ekphrasis, both ancient and contemporary, rests on the idea that ekphrasis is only a rhetorical term or a means of negotiating a way between the verbal and the visual. If ekphrasis were to become a complete and perfect intermediary between the two sides of the word/image dialectic the entire paradigm would crumble. The three steps of this progression and understanding of ekphrasis represents a contemporary appreciation of ekphrasis that fully acknowledges the ancient rhetorical past, the dynamic evolution of the term since its inception, and the ever-flowering possibility of what ekphrasis might mean.
Is ekphrasis a dictionary?
The word has undergone such change, in terms of definition and usage, that even the Oxford English Dictionary provides little information. Ekphrasis has taken on such specialized meanings over the ages that the only way to pin down even a cursory understanding of the word requires knowledge both ancient and modern.
What are some examples of ekphrastic poems?
Consider, for example, Rilke 's " Archaic Torso of Apollo " ; Marianne Moore 's "No Swan so Fine" and "Nine Peaches"; Wallace Stevens 's "Angel Between Two Paysans"; William Carlos Williams 's Pictures from Breughel ; John Berryman 's "Hunters in the Snow"; Randall Jarrell 's "Knight, Death and the Devil"; W. H. Auden 's " The Shield of Achilles ," and Elizabeth Bishop 's "Large Bad Picture" and "Poem." In recent times there have been a large number of examples, in fact, several anthologies of ekphrastic poems have been assembled, sometimes commissioned by museums whose collections are featured.
What is ekphrasis in Greek?
Notes on Ekphrasis. Ekphrasis (also spelled "ecphrasis") is a direct transcription from the Greek ek, "out of," and phrasis, "speech" or "expression.". It's often been translated simply as "description," and seems originally to have been used as a rhetorical term designating a passage in prose or poetry that describes something.
What is the Purgatorio in Dante?
Purgatorio in Dante consists of an upwardly spiraling climb around a mountain, and it may well be Trajan's column in Rome that provided him with the visual form for it. That monument is covered with low relief sculptures of scenes from the Dacian War, and, scene by scene, like frames in a comic strip, they rise upward in helical fashion from bottom to top. In Canto X, Dante not only describes the encounter between Trajan and the bereaved mother, he gives us their dialogue and then refers to it as esto visibleparlare, "this visible speaking." In other words, something magical has occurred: a work of visual art has somehow managed to convey an exchange of speech.
What is the earliest example of ekphrasis?
The earliest and best known example of ekphrasis is the long description of the shield made by Hephaistos and given to Achilles by his mother Thetis. (The passage is found in Book 18 of the Iliad .) Low-relief sculpture embossed in metal on the surface of the shield is described in elaborate detail. Hephaistos's subjects include constellations, pastures, dancing, and great cities. In fact, visual notation is so extensive that critics have commented that no actual shield in the real world would be able to contain the disparate elements mentioned.
What are the disadvantages of using visual art as a subject for ekphrasis?
A disadvantage, though, of using very great works of visual art as a subject for ekphrasis is that the comparison between the original and the poem about it may prove too unfavorable. Readers may wonder why they should bother reading a moderately effective poem when they could instead look at the great painting it was based on. If the poem doesn't contain something more than was already available to the audience, it will strike the reader as superfluous, the secondary product of someone too dependent on the earlier, greater work.
What are Hephaistos' subjects?
Hephaistos's subjects include constellations, pastures, dancing, and great cities. In fact, visual notation is so extensive that critics have commented that no actual shield in the real world would be able to contain the disparate elements mentioned.
How does the Iliad effect the reader?
The effect on the reader of his description is multi-faceted. On one hand, it tends to move the narrative farther away from ordinary plausibility. On the other, it provides a dreamlike expansion of the subject at hand and allows the poet to make oblique comments on the Iliad 's main narrative.
What is an actual ekphrastic poem?
Actual ekphrasis. An actual ekphrastic poem is one that’s about something that really exists in the world, like “The Starry Night” or ‘ The Arnolfini Marriage.”. It is observable at the same time that one is reading the poem.
What is ekphrasis poetry?
Ekphrasis - Definition and Examples | Poem Analysis. Although ekphrastic poems are normally associated with painting, drawing, sculpture, etc., they might also be poems about songs for dances. The term comes from the Greek for “description.”. There are no rules to ekphrastic poetry.
What is the meaning of the poem Starry Night?
Starry Night by Anne Sexton. Starry Night by Anne Sexton is a beautiful poem in which Sexton taps into her own sorrow and struggles in order to depict Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. She describes the panting emotionally and memorably. The night is described as a “rushing beast” and “great dragon.”.
What is the poem Ode on a Grecian Urn about?
‘ Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is one of the most famous ekphrastic poems. In it, Keats uses notational ekphrasis to addresses an imagined ancient vase. He describes what’s on the outside of the vase and alludes to what it might’ve been used for.
What is an example of notional ekphrasis?
One passage of The Iliad, in which the speaker describes Achilles shield, is often cited as an example. This dates back to 762 B.C and also proves that ekphrastic poems can be about things that the poet has imagined. They don’t have to be about real-life works of art. Achilles shield is an example of notional ekphrasis.
Why are ekphrastic poems important?
Ekphrastic poems are incredibly impactful when a poet wants to spend time focusing on one remarkable piece of art. They’re used to create a powerful experience for the reader. They’re introduced to the art, usually through the title or an epigraph, and immediately brought into the world of the artist and poet in the first lines.
What is the inspiration for Nighthawks Carson?
Nighthawks Carson takes inspiration from Edward Hopper’s best-known painting of the same name. In it, the viewer observes two men and one woman sitting in a restaurant through broad glass windows. The poet suggests in her poem that time is one of the most important factors in the poem.
What is the subject of an ekphrastic poem?
The subject of the ekphrastic poem can be about an actual artwork ( actual ekphrasis) or a fictional object like Achilles' shield ( notional ekphrasis ).
What is the meaning of the word "ekphrastic"?
The term ekphrastic (also spelled ecphrastic) originates from a Greek expression for description. The earliest ekphrastic poems were vivid accounts of real or imagined scenes. Through effusive use of details, writers in ancient Greece aspired to transform the visual into the verbal. Later poets moved beyond description to reflect on deeper meanings. Today, the word ekphrastic can refer to any literary response to a non-literary work.
What is ekphrastic poetry?
Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing. The term ekphrastic (also spelled ecphrastic) originates from a Greek expression for description.
What is the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" about?
In five rhyming stanzas, Keats' poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" addresses an imagined version of an ancient vase. Typical of artifacts seen in the British Museum, the urn is embellished with musicians and dancing figures. It might have once held wine, or it could have served as a funerary urn. Instead of merely describing the urn, Keats speaks directly to the dancing figures:
Why are the figures on the urn hopeless?
The figures on the urn seem all the more hopeless because they're frozen on an artifact that is timeless. However, Keats' controversial lines — "Beauty is truth, truth beauty"— suggest a type of salvation. Beauty (visual art) is equated with truth.
What does Szymborska suggest about monkeys?
By introducing the student's confusion and the surreal exam, Szymborska suggests that the monkeys symbolize the hopelessness of the human condition. It doesn't matter whether the monkeys gaze out the window or face the room. Either way, they remain enslaved.
Why did epic poets use ekphrasis?
More than 2,000 years ago, epic poets used ekphrasis to help audiences visualize legendary battles. They created an enargia, or a vivid word painting. For example, Book 18 of The Iliad (ca. 762 B.C.) includes a lengthy detailed visual description of the shield that Achilles carried.
