Understanding Ekphrasis

by Caitlin Cacciatore

When reading and discussing ekphrastic poetry, you may find it useful to utilize the keen gaze of an art critic as well as the tools you have learned through analyzing literature. The simultaneous use of these seemingly disparate skill sets enables you to compare the works through a critical lens that takes geopolitical history, social norms, and societal boundaries as well as technological limitations into account. Using a holistic gaze to analyze ekphrasis is necessary to fully comprehend the nuances of the relationship between the artwork and the poem.

Ekphrasis is ultimately an ongoing conversation between the artwork and the poem. As with any literary work, it is also a continual dialogue between the reader and the poet. You have likely heard that art is in the eye of the beholder, but it is also the case that words exist and are given form by the minds of an audience. This tension between art, literature, and the intangible conversations happening between the reader and the artists is part of what distinguishes ekphrasis from other poetic forms.

Questions to Consider:

1. When was the artwork created in relation to the life of the poet? Was the paint still proverbially drying on the canvas, or was the work in question already part of classical antiquity or some other part of the distant past? What was the relationship between the artist and the poet? Were they contemporaries of one another? If so, were they friends, strangers, lovers, or rivals? You may only be able to answer one or two of these questions, but considering the relationship between the creators and their temporal placement in relationship to one another can be integral in your understanding of the poem.
2. Where would the poet have been most likely to come across the artwork in question? You might want to imagine them at a crowded museum, gazing intently at the work, or you might picture a more intimate setting, alone with a work of art or in the company of friends. Perhaps you see them encountering the newly varnished painting at an evening soiree and being arrested by the sight of it. Remember - you don’t have to be right, but your interpretation of where the poet came across the work and under what circumstances will give you a stronger notion of their experience with the work. Whether you see them in your mind’s eye standing in awe in front of a painting at a gallery or if you see them having come across the painting more organically, this will inform your understanding of both the poem and its creator.
3. Why was the author inspired by this particular painting, sculpture, or artwork? Even if you see nothing extraordinary or noteworthy about it, try to imagine that you do. You may wish to select one element of the artwork to praise, and another to critique. This is especially helpful if you do not understand or care for the artwork in question. This will help put you in the frame of mind of the author. Find a plausible reason why the poet was drawn to the art they chose to write about. Try to go beyond sheer aesthetic beauty. What about the artwork was and remains unique? What sets it apart from others like it? What, if any, statement does it attempt to make?
4. What resonates with you about the artwork and the poem? Make a Venn Diagram illustrating what resonances the two pieces share and which are unique to one or the other.
5. Are there any mirrors in the poem that reflect the art? What contrasts can you find? If the poem is bleak, yet the painting is sunny and bright, this adds layers of meaning to unravel. If the poem ends on a hopeful note despite the statue it was written after being tragic or violent in nature, consider why.
6. Ask yourself what the poet decided to keep from the source material, what they added, and what they omitted, both intentionally and by accident. Every element was included for a reason, and those which were left behind can tell a surprising amount about the focus of the poem, and the lens through which the poet saw it. Often, if two or more people look at the same painting, their eyes will be drawn to different places and separate focal points. This provides valuable insight into what the poet considered important, note-worthy, or beautiful enough to write about - or, conversely, what disturbed or frightened them, what they found unremarkable, and what failed to draw them in.
7. Consider how faithfully the artwork is rendered on the page. Would you recognize it as an ekphrastic based on context clues, or is the connection between the art and the words more subtle? This will inform your interpretation and may give you insight into the mind of the poet: what they were drawn to, what their motivation for writing the poem was, why they chose that work of art and no other, how they saw the painting and its significance, and more. Attempt to think as the poet thought; see as they saw.  
8. What limitations were the artist working under? Consider, for example, that cobalt blue began commercial production in 1807 in France, or that viridian was discovered by a pair of Frenchmen - Pannetier and Binet - in the late 1830s. Consider also the tools and technology available to the artist, especially if the artwork was forged in antiquity.  
9. What constraints of form may have influenced the poet? Was it popular at the time to write in a specific line or meter? What were the most popular conventions of form at the time of the writing of the piece? Were sonnets in style? Does the poem follow a certain rhythm or rhyme scheme or other constraint that does not exist in free verse? When writing, these constraints inform the musicality of the poem as reflected by its rhythm and rhyme scheme, as well as the content and message of the piece.
10.  If the author could ask one question of the artist, what do you think that question would be? Write down that hypothetical question, as this exercise has the potential to reveal what you found most relevant, beautiful, or striking about the piece, as well as illuminate what might still be confusing about the pieces and how they relate to one another.

Notes on Understanding Ekphrasis

Please remember that there are very few ‘wrong’ answers. Poetry is meant to be interpreted. It is a conversation between the creator and the audience. Your interpretation of the piece is just as important - if not more so - than what the author intended. Allow yourself to move beyond questions such as theme, summary, and author’s purpose. Many writers will tell you that they write because they are compelled to do so - because it is a calling, because inspiration came to them on that day, or because they were seeking it out.

The true purpose of literature is to share emotions, scenes, visions, metaphors, and more - to reveal some great and lasting truth. At some point, the author lets the piece out into the world, at which point it becomes not a monologue, but a dialogue of which you are part.

Sources Cited

Cobalt Blue. Liquitex. (2023, May 25). https://www.liquitex.com/us/uncapped/cobalt-blue/

Colour Story: Viridian. Winsor & Newton - UK. (2022, September 6). https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/articles/colours/spotlight-on-viridian/

“Understanding Ekphrasis” by Caitlin Cacciatore is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.