The Power of Ekphrastic Poems
Truthfully, before attending this seminar, I had no idea that there was a specific term for poems written about works of art. I knew that poetry has always been inspired by artists, and artists most certainly have been influenced by poets throughout history; however, it was not until recently that I discovered the term ekphrastic poetry and its power to introduce poetry to those students that might have been intimidated otherwise. My first discovery was how this would certainly appeal to the students’ unique intelligences and diverse learning styles. I also recognized this as an opportunity to engage the students in a higher form of thinking through investigation, synthesis, and evaluation. More importantly, I realized that introducing ekphrastic poems to students will help them become more observant in their reading and writing and in their study of visual images. They will begin to envision what they are reading in a way that will help them incorporate visual details in their own writing.
For my 8th grade students, I have chosen to start this unit by sharing an ekphrastic poem titled “Not My Best Side” by U.A. Fanthorpe. The poem is based on a 1470 painting by Paolo Uccello titled Saint George and the Dragon. The reason I chose this poem is because it is fragmented into three segments (verse paragraphs) which provides insightful viewpoints from all three subjects painted in the artwork: a princess, a dragon, and St. George. This would be ideal for exploring the various perspectives represented in the poem. It can also increase student engagement because it is a lighthearted poem about a picture that can be easily construed.
Uccello, Paolo (1456) St. George and the Dragon Oil on canvas, 57 x 73 cm, National Gallery, London
From a visual arts (and historical) standpoint, this story comes from a well known collection of saint’s lives written in the 13th century titled “The Golden Legend”. The painting shows St. George defeating a plague-transmitting dragon that has been frightening a town. It also shows the rescued princess bringing the dragon to heel with what appears to be her belt. At a further look, we can see that a storm is gathering in the sky. This storm seems to line up with the heroic St. George’s lance. This formal pattern in the composition brings us to realize that a divine intervention has helped him to victory. The painter also seems to use the lance to emphasis the angle from which St. George attacks the dragon. This establishes a clear geometrical space which may suggest that Uccello was a formalist as much as a realist. This can be confirmed through his consistent use of linear perspective and his creation of decorative patterns in most of his paintings.
I am confident that my students would be able to easily read and interpret this painting alone if I simply showed it to them because of their prior knowledge of linear perspective, space, colors, patterns, value, etc.
From a verbal arts standpoint, there great deal to uncover. It appears that the three characters in the poem mutiny against their painter-Uccello. It also seems as though this poem makes the scenario relatable to people of today who will find these roles recognizable in their own social world. It suggests facetiously that society has not changed between the time the painting was created and the time the poem was written—although undoubtedly Uccello took a rather different view of his characters than we do. This is partly because the enjambment throughout the poem makes it conversational in a way that’s familiar to our ears.
In the first verse paragraph, the reader is introduced to the dragon in the painting. The voice of the dragon appears to be intelligently analytic, judging from the clever and knowing deployment of language that the poet has chosen for him. He is both bitter and witty in mocking the knight, the princess, and the painter by observing the absurdity of their behavior. Condescendingly, he jokes about the artist’s obsession with triangles, and the ridiculous fact that he is missing two feet:
The artist didn’t give me a chance to
Pose properly, and as you can see,
Poor chap, he had this obsession with
Triangles, so he left off two of my
Feet.
Buying into the common stereotypes, the dragon also mocks St. George for not being “manly” enough, claiming that he is ‘ostentatiously beardless’ while he also mentions that the princess is so ‘unattractive as to be inedible’. But the reader can see that his rhetorical question sarcastically poses these stereotypes to make the them recognize the constraining roles that social convention has placed them in:
Why should my victim be so
Unattractive as to be inedible,
And why should she have me literally
On a string?
The dragon continues by depicting himself as a celebrity, a renowned figure symbolizing evil in a way. Amusingly, the entire time, the stanza never loses its comic tone even though the dragon then talks about his death. The tone remains light-hearted, and we realize that in looking back on the painting the dragon has lived on in some way.
In the second verse paragraph, the reader gains the perspective of the princess or a possible modern day woman. The poet does not depict this princess as refined or ladylike; she is humorous in her lack of propriety. Some readers might not favor the princess because she appears to be vulgar, shallow, and insensitive towards the knight. However, it seems intentional to make the reader feel uncomfortable as they realize that they would otherwise be placing her in a specific gender role. We all know her because she speaks the voice of social media. It is clear that this princess is preoccupied with things of the body as she focuses on physical attributes in describing the dragon’s features. For a moment, she does insightfully adopt a feminist perspective. A reader can become uncertain whether they should laugh at her for being this way, or if they should laugh because she has not lived up to their expectations:
I didn’t fancy him much. I mean,
What was he like underneath that hardware?
He might have acne, blackheads or even
Bad breath for all I could tell, but the dragon—
Well, you could see all his equipment
In the third and final verse paragraph, the reader discovers St, George’s (the knight’s) point of view in the pictured scenario. He is a representative of the patriarchy. He cares very little for anyone other than himself. In the mechanized world of his mind, his horse becomes a machine rather than a conscious being, confirming that he is a man without empathy. His unreflective sense of make superiority arises from the idea that he alone can save the princess and return her to her original status as a woman on a pedestal without power:
My spear is custom-built,
And my prototype armour
Still on the secret list. You can’t
Do better than me at the moment.
I’m qualified and equipped to the
Eyebrow. So why be difficult?
As the knight continues, he seems to make an accusation that women are ruining society because of the way they are. This is a common argument feminists face in today:
Don’t you realize that, by being choosy,
You are endangering job prospects
In the spear- and horse- building industries?
Because of viewpoint, it appears that the poet made the knight out to be the only one happy playing his role. This is because he has the most power; society seems to favor men; the princess and the dragon are both reduced to abject roles. Still, it can be argued that it is merely his role that makes him powerful because if he were to lose his position as a knight, he would be nothing.
Overall, this is quite an entertaining poem that students can find relatable. In addition, it is a perfect introduction to ekphrastic poetry because it is so descriptive that students can almost certainly picture the painting in their minds before even seeing the artwork. Furthermore, through our discussion, I also hope that the students conclude that this is only the poet’s interpretation of the painting; we can make interpretations of our own.
Bruegel, Pieter (1558) Landscape with the Fall of Icarus Oil on canvas, 73.5 x 112 cm, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
As we move forward, I will use another ekphrastic poem titled "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by the 20th-century American poet William Carlos Williams. It was written in response to Landscape with the Fall of Icarus which was created by Pieter Bruegel. The reason I have selected this for the students is because of the descriptive visuals created in the poem.
From a historical standpoint, the painting was inspired by a Greek myth that relates a story about a father and son. Daedalus the father built artificial wings to allow his son, Icarus, to fly away from the location in which they had been imprisoned. In his excitement at being able to fly, Icarus flew closer and closer to the sun even though his father had warned him not to. As a result, the wax from his wings melted causing Icarus to fall to his death.
Visually, Pieter Bruegel captures the day that Icarus attempted to fly and plummeted into the ocean. In the painting, a viewer can clearly see that it is spring time. Judging from the overall composition, it appears as though this is the main theme. There are images of farming, herds of animals, and merchant vessels in the sea. As a closer glance, a viewer can see a tiny set of legs and a splash where Icarus hits the ocean. He clearly is not the main focus of the painting because none of the other human figures notice him. Bruegel seems more interested in depicting peasants accurately. For example, the shepherd tending to his animals draws a viewer’s eyes away from Icarus. A viewer can even imagine that this placement of Icarus was a last-minute addition to the painting. Moreover, the use of light and color found in the background seems to also illuminate the painting. It gives the scene a sense of warmth and life, not a tragic atmosphere for death.
The poet’s view of the painting to some extent supports Bruegel’s. Williams creates a vivid image of the surrounding landscape. He describes the landscape and surrounding community as “awake tingling”. This evidently takes away from the seemingly tragic death of Icarus. Through the entire poem, William is painting a picture like Bruegel’s that illuminates the natural world. This seems to make the tone almost joyous or merry, which is ironic considering the death that is about to take place. William’s choice of words such as “unsignificantly” also makes the reader want to not pay attention to Icarus. He also writes “a splash quite unnoticed” which can be translated as a death going unnoticed as if it were minor. Moreover, if a reader observes the structure of the poem itself, they can discover that it emulates a fall—much like the fall of Icarus:
Unsignificantly
Off the coast
There was
A splash quite unnoticed
This was
Icarus drowning.
While discussing this poem in relation to the painting, I hope that the students discover symbolism just as in the first ekphrastic poem. Through our discourse, I anticipate that we will expand on the meaning behind the artist’s and poet’s choices and answer questions such as, what do you believe the artist and poet want you to know, feel, and understand? What in the poem and artwork causes you to think that? For instance, based on my observation that most of the vibrant colors are situated on the left side if the painting and the bystanders are looking in the opposite direction from the splash, I can assume that the artist wanted Icarus to be the last thing I noticed. This can represent the lack of awareness people may have of other’s lives. In other words, the pain of one person may go unnoticed. This can provide a message to the audience that they may often live their lives while being completely oblivious to other people’s suffering. However, in the process, I will be certain to consistently remind the students that there is no correct result when interpreting art. I want to essentially eliminate the notion that there is somehow a “right answer” when one is asked for an interpretation. I want ensure that every student feels confident in sharing their insight while understanding that there are responses more adequate or suitable than others based on prior knowledge. Students’ responses should be influenced both by any prior knowledge they may have and by personal experience. Various viewpoints will arise and that is completely okay as long as it is followed by an explanation.
For small group activities, I have also considered utilizing the following ekphratic poems:
- Poem: Edward Hirsch, “Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad” Artwork: Edward Hopper, House by the Railroad (c. 1925)
- Poem: Mary Leader, “Girl at Sewing Machine” Artwork: Edward Hopper, Girl at Sewing Machine (c. 1921)
- Poem: John Stone, “Three for the Mona Lisa” Artwork: Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (c. 1503)
- Poem: Derek Mahon, “Girls on the Bridge” Artwork: Edvard Munch, Girls on the Jetty (c. 1899)
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