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Writing an Ekphrastic Poem Peter Boyle
Saturday 1st October.10–11.30am
An Ekphrastic poem takes a work of art as its starting point. Though it typically includes some description of the art work, a good ekphrastic poem — like Eavan Boland’s ‘Domestic Interior’ or W.H. Auden’s ‘Musée des Beaux Arts’ — does much more than describe. It makes a leap from the art work itself to something that especially grabs the poet. Likewise it helps the poet move beyond the simple statement of personal feelings and opinions towards a more complex, nuanced, engaging creation.
In this workshop I will discuss strategies that can be used to write ekphrastic poems. Participants will then be given the opportunity to write an ekphrastic poem of their own.
Some of the strategies to be introduced include modulating the point of view, deciding who will be the speaker(s) in the poem, taking the freedom to see the work in an unconventional way or several alternate ways, and writing quick observations that can be reworked later. In the past I have written preliminary notes for ekphrastic poems in a gallery or museum, standing directly in front of the painting, jotting down phrases that I can work up later. Reproductions of many art works can now be viewed quite readily on the web.
A preliminary discussion will focus on a few ekphrastic poems, including my responses to Velazquez’s ‘Las Meninas’, Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Prozor’ and ‘La tristesse du roi’. Participants will then be given a choice of four or five art works with the instruction to choose one and, very rapidly, write notes, taking the art work, or some detail they see in it, in whatever direction they choose. The purpose of such an experiment is to step away from one’s usual concerns and let the art work, or something in it, prompt the poem.
This event takes place on Whadjuk Noongar Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and acknowledge that this is, was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Centre for Stories, 100 Aberdeen St,Perth,WA,Australia
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