Poem 2: Ekphrasis
THE TWO FRIDAS by Aliyah Brown, Janessa Graham, TF*, Brianna Hobson, Erika Perez, Manuel Pomposa, Anabel Sanchez, Melanie Tapia, Milady Torres [and one other person who didn't identify themselves]
Gray skies behind
their backs with a hint
of black united by touch.
Bloody scissors stain her skirt.
Scissors will not resuscitate,
what dies in vein. A loose
vessel caught in space
between two hearts but one spirit.
Old and new connect through red
that stains when slit.
The blood stains white and clean on blue.
She is me. I am her.
Bound by a string.
So close yet so apart.
Only one
can survive with a beating heart.
Red string of fate,
tying two halves.
* I can only take credit for the meter and tercets; all the words are by the other 9 poets.
This is the web address for my YouTube video on Ekphrastic Poetry and Diana Chang's "What Matisse Is After"; when you watch the video, please follow along with the poem on pp. 9 and 10 of your syllabus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3gy9ylxNnI
EKPHRASTIC POETRY
The Poetry Foundation website's glossary of poetic terms defines "ekphrasis":
“Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.
Some examples, other than Diana Chang's "What Matisse Is After," include:
Williams Carlos Williams, "In Brueghel's Great Picture the Kermess"
Wislawa Szymborska, "Two Monkeys by Breughel
W.H. Auden, "Musee des Beaux Arts" (a third one about a Breughel painting!)
Danez Smith, "Dinosaurs in the Hood" (about the movie Jurassic Park)
John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"
Olive Senior, "A Superficial Reading"
John Ashbery, "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror"(about Parmigianino's painting of the same name)
Anne Sexton, "Starry Night" (the name of the most famous Vincent Van Gogh painting)
Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess"
Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas (1939)
Dear Students,
Even if you don't put a line of poetry about the above painting in the comments section by 2 pm, you should still feel free to do it up to Saturday at noon, and then, Saturday afternoon, I arrange it into a collaborative poem, post it here, and credit all authors.
I'm realizing that even if we have regular synchronous class sessions, I have to leave a bit more room for asynchronous posting, and I'll try to modify the course schedule that I will post once a week on this blog to reflect that.
Gray skies behind
their backs with a hint
of black united by touch.
Bloody scissors stain her skirt.
Scissors will not resuscitate,
what dies in vein. A loose
vessel caught in space
between two hearts but one spirit.
Old and new connect through red
that stains when slit.
The blood stains white and clean on blue.
She is me. I am her.
Bound by a string.
So close yet so apart.
Only one
can survive with a beating heart.
Red string of fate,
tying two halves.
* I can only take credit for the meter and tercets; all the words are by the other 9 poets.
This is the web address for my YouTube video on Ekphrastic Poetry and Diana Chang's "What Matisse Is After"; when you watch the video, please follow along with the poem on pp. 9 and 10 of your syllabus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3gy9ylxNnI
EKPHRASTIC POETRY
The Poetry Foundation website's glossary of poetic terms defines "ekphrasis":
“Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.
Some examples, other than Diana Chang's "What Matisse Is After," include:
Williams Carlos Williams, "In Brueghel's Great Picture the Kermess"
Wislawa Szymborska, "Two Monkeys by Breughel
W.H. Auden, "Musee des Beaux Arts" (a third one about a Breughel painting!)
Danez Smith, "Dinosaurs in the Hood" (about the movie Jurassic Park)
John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"
Olive Senior, "A Superficial Reading"
John Ashbery, "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror"(about Parmigianino's painting of the same name)
Anne Sexton, "Starry Night" (the name of the most famous Vincent Van Gogh painting)
Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess"
Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas (1939)
Dear Students,
Even if you don't put a line of poetry about the above painting in the comments section by 2 pm, you should still feel free to do it up to Saturday at noon, and then, Saturday afternoon, I arrange it into a collaborative poem, post it here, and credit all authors.
I'm realizing that even if we have regular synchronous class sessions, I have to leave a bit more room for asynchronous posting, and I'll try to modify the course schedule that I will post once a week on this blog to reflect that.
Diana Chang's poem, "What Matisse is After" is moving. It bears fluidity, movement and has an astute observation not only of the human body but of human experience. I particularly noticed the word choice, "straight", "curve", "lines", "space", "swelling", "arm", "bone", "rounds", "thigh" and "teeth" and how much it involved, like you mentioned, the physiological and emotional state of the human body. Maybe what Matisse was after was understanding of humanity, of love and of the body and spirit. Like Matisse's paintings, Chang's ekphrastic poem is amorphous, moving gently, with words and with abstract. There is a casual violence in the line,"in the teeth of our dying" but this feeling is reconfigured and re birthed in the line. "he exhales the paint we need." Personally, I think that this poem is very visual. You see the shape in your mind way before you see Matisse's painting. I saw the colors, the figures, the fluidity and the wholeness because of the word choice and the way the poem was presented visually on the page.
ReplyDeleteI am aware of the existence of ekphrastic poetry because I wrote one once for my Creative Writing Workshop course but one question I have about it, is form. Does ekphrastic poetry have any formal guidelines, like a specific format, arrangement of syllables or line structure?
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Brianna, I really like your analysis of the linguistic features of the poem, including the notion that "the teeth of our dying has "a casual violence," and I would agree that what Matisse was frequently after was an understanding of the relation of the human body and spirit.
ReplyDeleteEkphrastic poetry, because it is a thematic mode of poetry, has no restrictions on form. If you look at all the ekphrastic poems in my Poem 2 post, they are all very different. However, in particular cultures or sub-cultures, i.e. in the Far East, there may have been formal constraints many centuries ago--as with the Japanese poem/painting that you might see in the Metropolitan Museum Asian wing from, say, 800 years ago.
That's really cool. I should have a look at the Japanese one then. Also, I read the Anne Sexton poem you listed and it's great!
DeleteSorry I forgot to mention this in the main post of Poem 2: Recently, a poet friend of mine from Ohio emailed me to say that NPR was actually having an ekphrastic poetry "contest":
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this NPR poetry challenge? https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/812181303/poetry-challenge-paint-a-picture-with-words
Isn't it weird that this should be happening close to the time of this assignment?!
I found the topic of ekphrastic poetry very interesting. I like the concept of ekphrastic poetry because through writing an ekphrastic poem, you get to somewhat support other artists in that by means of your ekphrastic poem on their work, you may be able to point out to others who view their work a different angle through which they can view a particular painting or sculpture. You can expand the meaning of a particular artist's work and in the process, give those who view something profound to take away and meditate on. I feel inspired to try an ekphrastic poem.
ReplyDeleteI also love Diana Chang's poem, "What Matisse Is After". I am inspired by her use of images and tropes. For example, I like how she used different words to evoke images in the minds of readers. This is my favorite one from her:
"A long gourd swelling out of bone
an arm sings that its reach
rounds into a heave of loving"(Chang, "What Matisse Is After").
I love that because it promotes such beautiful mental visualization as well as meditation of Matisse's art. I also like how you brought out the point of pairing an abstract with something concrete to make a powerful image. I'm going to try that. Thank you so much.
-Janessa Graham(a.k.a. Jan)
I like the "swelling out of bone" line too. It plays into more than one of your five senses, in that you not only visualize the bone but you also begin to perceive the feeling of sharpness or the act of swelling.
Deletedo ekphratic poems only describe a work of art? if so are these poems usually written in a sort of metaphoric style.
ReplyDeletei personally found diana changs poem interesting but also a little confusing. I'm not sure i really understood the concept or idea in the poem. although her use of strophes is a way to really make us pay attention to certain lines in the poem that may be more important than others. when i see the art work and compare it to the poem i guess i would have to use my imagination to really see what she saw or felt when looking at this piece of artwork and writing this poem.
DeleteWell, Milady, ekphrastic poems CAN describe a movie, as Danez Smith's did (in my ekphrastic list in the Poem 2 post), BUT please just use a painting, drawing, or sculpture for this assignment. Frequently, these poems are written in a metaphoric style; they tend to have more tropes (metaphors, similes, etc.) and images than abstract language. But then again, some ekphrastic poems have close to a 50/50 balance of tropes/images and abstract language.
DeleteDiamond.F
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the poem by Diana Chang's poem ' What Matisse is After. The poem's gives a lot of images that I can see in my mind as I am reading the poem and the different word choices help create the image .My favorite part of the poem is 'He exhales paint we need to breath' showing the love and passion art has on the poet. My question about ekphrastic poetry is does the lines have to be spaced out all the time when writing one?
Diamond, that's also my favorite line. No, the lines don't have to be spaced out in the way she did. In your ekphrastic poem, you can have very long lines, or very short lines, or alternating long, medium, and short. You can have stanzas or no stanzas, and in fact, if you want to forget the left-justified margin and do "visual poetry" (see the textbook for description), you can do that, too.
DeleteI agree with Briana of how it moves in terms of vocal performance like saying it out loud. It almost sounds like a song and I've heard of poetry like this in the past back in my Catholic School. I believe the poem involved Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or some old English poetry. The poem like she said is very descriptive while maintaining it's simplicity as well describing simple actions in an elegant way. Also what are the guidelines for the poem we're supposed to do for Frida?
ReplyDeleteThe two Fridas stand across
Deleteeach other but not spaced
different yet alike
hands holding
One is dressed in blue
the other in white
hearts exposed
Gray skies behind their backs
with a hint of a black
united by a touch
connected by string
Manuel, you don't have to do a whole poem for Frida. It's just practice for whatever you're going to do for the actual assignment. The idea is that every student writes only one line describing the "2 Fridas," and that line can be around 7 to 12 words, and then Saturday afternoon, I'll put all the lines together as a poem and make changes to create a good flow, and you'll all be credited on the collaborative poem that I'll post on the Poem 2 post.
DeleteI assume everyone understands that for the Poem 2 assignment, you can choose either the ekphrastic poem or the Dickinson one that we'll discuss on March 25.
Oops sorry cause it just said it on the course schedule.
DeleteIn reference to ekphrastic poetry, would it be possible for an art historian to take into consideration a poetic interpretation of a work of art when forming their own historical analysis of the piece? I think about how art is subjective but the concept of an art historian is more precise. They would take into account the events that are happening at the time that would influence the creation of the art but would a poet's interpretation be legitimate?
ReplyDeleteIn Chang's poem, the line "the line of a thigh on its departure toward returning" reflects the nature of a ekphrastic poem which is description of art in a way that is not so literal. She could have chosen instead to say "there are thighs moving inward and some moving outward" but that would defeat the purpose of the style which is one that uses metaphor.
I actually really admire Frida Kahlo so writing any line would pale in comparison to her work. But this is what I have come up with: The red string of fate, tying two halves
Whoops. I don't have my name set up on my email. -Erika
DeleteErika, you raise a very important issue. I can't fully address it in this post. One could write a long article about it. Recent art historians would take into account the events happening at the time as a framework for their interpretation, but they would not be restricted to that--well, most wouldn't. An art historian is precise in that sense, but recognizes that the work of art can go beyond historicism because of the realms of psychology, spirituality, and philosophy, and also, because any interpreter is limited in perspective, considering some variables and not others, and because of their investment in proving their own "thesis" (and therefore, opposing what might conflict with it). The purpose of an ekphrastic poem is often NOT to historicize, but historicizing is not excluded from the possibilities of any poetry, including ekphrastic. But you also ask if the art historian can "take into consideration" what a poem "says," and in my reading of art criticism over the years--which is not a steady thing that I do--I've seen it happen. Actually, interpretations of John Ashbery's "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror" written by literary critics have used art critics to support their thesis, and in fact, Ashbery's poem itself quotes several art critics.
Deletefrida - adirf
ReplyDeleteshe is me.
I am her.
bounded by a string.
connected through our hearts.
I have to "go" to my next class. This has been a great discussion. I wish Diana were alive to read it. She would have been happy to hear what you liked about the poem. I met her two or three times before she moved from the New York area around 2004--once at an art opening, in fact--and she was a really kind, gentle, open person. Sadly, because of her asthma, she had to give up her own painting about 10 years before she died (in 2009), but then her poetry continued to flower. I should probably mention that Diana, who was of half Chinese descent and half British, wrote the first novel ever published in the U.S. about Eurasian experience: The Frontiers of Love (1949). She only wrote one novel after that.
ReplyDeleteDo we have to email you the original and revision of Poem 1 today?
DeleteThanks for doing that. Yes, everyone else who hasn't should.
DeleteThere is two of us
ReplyDeleteBut only one heart to use
There is no such things called distance
As hand lock in closing the space
Both Fridas of the same face
but different clothing shades
The blood stains white and clean on blue
What is mine is yours
peace and pain I would trade for you
My Frida we are Ying Yang
Frida Kahlo Painting: "Two Fridas":
ReplyDeleteThe halves of one severed a loose vessel caught in space between two hearts but one spirit.
I brainstormed and consequently came up with several lines for the "Two Fridas" painting. You can choose one line or use them all. All lines have 12 syllables max like you asked :
ReplyDelete"Fetal sounds cut above the knee" 11 syllables
"Memory lives in viscera and rots in me" 12 syllables
"Scissors will not resuscitate, what dies in vein" 12 syllables
"Excision or Fracture, the heart is stillborn pain" 12 syllables
In one stanza, it looks like this -
Fetal sounds cut above the knee,
Memory lives in viscera and rots in me
Scissors will not resuscitate, what dies in vein
Excision or Fracture, the heart is stillborn pain
I'm familiar with ekphrastic poetry because I've taken another course where we coincidentally also had to write something on a Frida painting. I find this kind of poetry quite fascinating because you are able to use language in way that allows you to create a new distinct image. I really enjoyed reading Diana Chang's ekphrastic poem on artist Matisse's work. Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists, he was a painter that was well known for his use of form and color. When I read Chang's "What Matisse is after" I was instantly enticed by her use of language to describe Matisse's art. Since I am familiar with Matisse's work, I thought the first line of Chang's poem was pretty spot on: "The straight in a curve is what Matisse is after". I found this line quite funny and ironic since most of Matisse's paintings focus on curves. Even the lines of tables, walls, and doors are curved or dysmorphed in some way. Further down the poem I started to picture what painting she was describing. "An arm sings that its reach rounds into a heave of loving the line of a thigh on its departure" made me think of Matisse's "Blue Nudes". In this painting, there is a woman in blue whos arm extends behind her back and then connects to her thigh. Chang's use of language creates an image much like the painting, free and full of movement. My favorite line in Chang's poem is the last: "He exhales the paint he need to breathe". This line resonated with me because it expresses Chang's love for Matisse's paintings, his work is being compared to the air essential to life.
ReplyDeleteAfter carefully observing Frida's painting: "The Two Fridas" I've come up with the following line:
"Old and new connect through red that stains when slit"
Yes, "Blue Nudes" are very relevant to this poem, as are the paintings of women Matisse created when he lived in Nice for quite a while.
Delete1:15-1:30- In the comments section of the “Poem 2” post, write your questions and remarks on both ekphrastic poetry and Diana Chang’s poem.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed her style and word selection. I had never seen any of Matisse's works and her description of them was stunningly accurate.
1:30-1:45- On Google image, find a representation of Frida Kahlo’s painting, “The Two Fridas.” Write one line that includes a visual image in the comments section of the “Poem 2” post. The line should be between 4 and 12 syllables, no longer.
Bloody scissors stain her skirt
The collaborative poem is now published on the "Poem 2: Ekphrasis" post. There is one person who is not identified by name after posting lines, so s/he did not get credit. Therefore, this poet should come forward!
ReplyDeleteThe opening lines of Diana Chang's "What Matisse is After" were my favorite: "The straight in a curve/ is what Matisse is after" I love how she starts the poem by so bluntly telling the reader the near impossible/eccentric objective that drives an artist as significant and talented as Henri Matisse to create what he creates. Every line that follows that first stanza is a description of the big picture - to find the straight in a curve, or, as i interpret it, to focus on the little details that bring the whole thing together
ReplyDelete