ART + POETRY = EKPHRASTICS
"Poetry is painting with the gift of speech." --Simonides
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Ekphrastic poems - are POEMS written in response to art: dance, music-- any art, but the vast majority today are written in response to visual arts, especially painting, which we will focus on here.
If you write a poem and would like to share it on the blog, email it to me at dianekendig (at) gmail (dot) com, using @ for at and . for dot.
Here is one painting to write about. Right click to see it large.
Artwork by Maria Blanchard, "The Ice Cream Cart"
Here are two types of supplementary materials for today's lesson in writing Ekphrasis.
*** Online art from art museums around the state of Ohio
***Online sources for reading ekphrastic poems and learning about them
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Online art from art museums in Ohio
For young children & those who love picture books
This wonderful museum at The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio houses original artwork from children's books. If you visit, you can find the original drawings for classics and new work by authors such as Denise Fleming and Tomie dePaola. In the meangtime, while we can visit, you can click on several exhibitions at this link and find many exciting pictures to write about:
Exhibitions: https://www.mazzamuseum.org/exhibitions/
For older children and adults
We are fortunate to have this fine museum in our town, and anyone under 12 years old can visit it for free when it reopens. It is also free for everyone on Thursdays and the First Friday of every month, the day that Canton has a party downtown. We'll hope to see you all there when we have finished sheltering in place, and meantime, Here are some great exhibitions you can tour online and choose an
artwork to write about.
Exhibitions: https://www.cantonart.org/exhibits/virtual-gallery
artwork to write about.Exhibitions: https://www.cantonart.org/exhibits/virtual-gallery
Permanent collection: https://www.cantonart.org/exhibits/permanent-collection
There is one stunning group of artworks from amuseument parks, including several wonderful horses, like this one:
https://www.cantonartcollection.com/itemdetail.php?work_id=2117&fbclid=IwAR04ZwTIskpWbLrCzZlDSoVCwqqz-2BY6a6rCTmqSvXPq-Vpfk1s2XEO0YA
There is one stunning group of artworks from amuseument parks, including several wonderful horses, like this one:
https://www.cantonartcollection.com/itemdetail.php?work_id=2117&fbclid=IwAR04ZwTIskpWbLrCzZlDSoVCwqqz-2BY6a6rCTmqSvXPq-Vpfk1s2XEO0YA
Most museums around the world have collections up that you can use also.
A poem by Stark County middle schooler about a painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art:
St. George
A great leader spears the monstrosity of the dragon.
A woman waits, hoping for the saint.
He thrusts his weapon strongly into the dragon’s deep cavity of a mouth.
The tamed beast rears up in fright, anger?
The fan-like tail flies up from the strong, muscular abdomen.
On a gray medium, with splotches of radiant, glowing, beautiful orange; as on the woman’s dress.
A majestic background of hill and town,
with a castle standing royally like a great monument.
The knight is clad in a great silver sheath of metal, protecting him from harm.
The dragon dies, in its eyes, grandly to a great foe.
Hurrah for St. George.
Here is a poem by a Stark County student, based on a Canton Museum exhibit on kimonos:
The Golden Kimono
Unique and beautiful in every
Golden piece of thread
Like putting pieces of a puzzle together
to make a work of art-exhibitions
A brush and Aibana creating the pieces
Tying and dying making each small bulge
A perfect fit fill with detail and flush
Fixing and steaming creating
Layers and depth of colorful
Stretching and drying on shinshi
Repeating itself to make itself
Like a flawless, elegant swan in a
Pond of lilies
Finishing with
Hand-painting, gilding, and embroidering
To make it utsukushii and sensai na
Golden is the sunset
In the sky being shadowed
By the clouds above it
As the warm colors mix
Together to create a mystery
Of colorful, amazing light.
This is the broadside she made of it
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Online sources
Ekphrastic poem by a student and teacher info are at Scholastic (click here)
Ekphrastic poems at the Poetry Foundation
Ekphrastic poems by adults at Ekphrastic Review
One of mine at this site, "Two Sisters" on this Maria Blanchard painting
And here are photos of me and my sister that inspired me as well.
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STEVE ABBOTT EXAMINES THE ART....
