What is Ekphrasis?

I've been thinking about poetry recently; about the way it holds a mirror up to our lives, and how we use it to express and expect something truthful - even if the poem itself is untruthful. Alan Moore once said that, 'Artists tell lies to tell the truth', and I think that there's something extremely comforting to know that truth can be extracted from art even if it doesn't specifically relate to you, or even the artist. Honestly, it's because all art relates to all things. It's difficult to isolate yourself from a piece of art because the very act of expression and comprehension - or even frustration at a lack of comprehension - is a reaction to it, a fusion between two minds: the reader and the writer, the performer and their audience, etc. But how does this relate to Ekphrasis? What even is Ekphrasis? Well, we all know what it is, even if we don't recognise the word - it's the act of responding to art with art.

Specifically, visual art - the word's origin takes us back to ancient Greece, where we can find one of the earliest examples of the concept in Homer's 'The Iliad'. Homer's description of the Shield of Achilles (which can be found here) is just one of many examples of ekphrasis in this period, with many others following in Homer's example (such as Hesoid's description of the Shield of Heracles - which can be found here). The Greek origin of the word 'Ekphrasis' literally means 'description' - roughly, it translates as ek - 'Out of', and phrasis - 'speech', or 'expression'. In it's oldest form, therefore, Ekphrasis is something very static; it's the motionless description of an object, almost devoid of personal emotional response. It's a very literal act - a transcription of art from one form to another. I had a problem with this style. A little part of me rebelled at the nature of Ekphrasis, at the simple relaying of information from the visual creation to the written word. Alain de Botton has suggested that, 

‘The artist is willing to sacrifice a naïve realism in order to achieve realism of a deeper sort; like a poet who, though less factual than a journalist in describing an event, may nevertheless reveal truths about it that find no place in the other’s literal grid’. 

I wanted to create something of my own in my piece that was more than a reference. Imagine my delight, therefore, when I began to consider some of my favourite examples of Ekphrasis in their true form: Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess', Oscar Wilde's 'Picture of Dorian Gray', etc. These are obviously responses to paintings; and yet, tracing them from the inception of the concept of Ekphrasis, I couldn't help but appreciate these fantastic works even more. The beauty of our literary history is that over time, simple ideas such as Ekphrasis have evolved and morphed into something new, refreshing and challenging. By studying art's past, we can become more excited about art's future.

So where am I going with this?

We've all experienced art at some point in our lives: it's all around us - on the internet, in our living rooms, on our streets and in our schools. Whether you're an aficionado, an amateur, a student or a passer-by, most of us can at least identify a handful of artists, writers or performers when asked; a small collection of pictures and words, of melodies and films, of faces, landscapes, performances and everything in between, like a mantra, a passing fancy or even a life story. One of the most instinctive, intuitive experiences of our lives is the act of responding to that artwork; whether it's a simple thought, or a profound reaction to something we hadn't seen before, we are compelled to feel - even if all we feel is the need to stop, or even to look away. This is something that's always fascinated me; that moment when you stop, when something halts you, compels you, fascinates you, and enthrals you. Now, sadly, much of what we experience often becomes part of the white noise of our past - moments are forgotten when we chose to stop and stare, because life has a ruthless tendency to lose. For me, Ekphrasis is an opportunity to transcribe that moment, to articulate that flash of emotion, that inspiration that hops between creations like the lightning from van de graff generators. It is a picture of a thunderstorm.

Let's spend some time reading some Ekphrastic poetry - it's really quite phenomenal.