What does the word ekphrastic mean?

What does the word ekphrastic mean?

Glossary of Poetic Terms “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.

How do you use ekphrasis in a sentence?

The messenger describes the banquet tent, in a detailed ekphrasis . The Renaissance and Baroque periods made much use of ekphrasis . Virtually any type of artistic medium may be the actor of, or subject of ekphrasis . Like the other occurrences of ekphrasis , these works of art describe multiple events.

What is the point of ekphrasis?

One particular kind of visual description is also the oldest type of writing about art in the West. Called ekphrasis, it was created by the Greeks. The goal of this literary form is to make the reader envision the thing described as if it were physically present.

What is an example of ekphrasis?

Usually, ekphrastic poems are written about a painting, but they can also be based on a sculpture, an object, or even architecture. One of the earliest examples is in the Iliad, when Homer describes Achilles’ shield. Another famous example is John Keats’ poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn.”

What does ekphrasis mean in poetry?

Ekphrastic poetry has come to be defined as poems written about works of art; however, in ancient. Greece, the term ekphrasis was applied to the skill of describing a thing with vivid detail. One of the. earliest examples of ekphrasis can be found in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad, in which the speaker.

How do you do ekphrastic?

How to Write an Ekphrastic Poem

  1. Choose a piece of art. Choose a work of art that elicits a strong emotional reaction; it can be a piece of art you love, are inspired by, or find confusing.
  2. Write down what you see.
  3. Pick a form.
  4. Write from a specific point of view.

Where does the term ekphrasis come from?

It should be no surprise, then, that the term ekphrasis derives from Greek, where it literally means “description” and was formed by combining the prefix ex- (“out”) with the verb “phrazein” (“to point out or explain”). “Ekphrasis” first appeared in English in the early 18th century.

Who coined the term ekphrasis?

Augustus and Agrippa (678–684)

Is ekphrasis a figure of speech?

“Ekphrasis” is a rhetorical and poetic figure of speech in which a visual object (often a work of art) is vividly described in words. Adjective: ecphrastic.

  • October 1, 2022