Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Post #8: Ekphrasis

The idea ut pictura poesis (“as is painting so is poetry”) has been a philosophical conceit since the Greeks; Plutarch cites Simonides of Ceos (ca. 557-467 B.C.) as the originator of the phrase “Painting is mute poetry and poetry a speaking picture.”  Almost every critic of painting or poetry from the Renaissance through the eighteenth century continued this parallel, arguing that both painting and poetry should have a foundation in image.  Similar to the concept of ut picture poesis is the practice of ekphrasis, a rhetorical device by which one artwork becomes the inspiration or subject of another.

In order to better connect the literature to your imaginations, you must craft a creative representation of one of the texts.  This can be a painting, a series of photographs, a journal “written” by one of the characters, or a dramatic representation (on videotape) of a scene.  You may work in groups for this project, but group work will be judged by a higher standard than individual work.  These representations must be creative, original, and appropriate for the college setting.  On the day these projects are due (June 2), you will present them to the class.  These photographs are examples of what previous students created.  For this blog entry, choose which example you like the most, and briefly explain why.


sculpture inspired by Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros"

drawing inspired by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira"
topographical map inspired by Scott Carrier's "Running after Antelope"

painting inspired by Orhan Pamuk's "The New Life"

puppet inspired by Russell Banks's "Trailerpark"

photo collage inspired by Charles Simic's "A Wedding in Hell"

q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations"

a song inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations"

47 comments:

  1. I like the idea of the photo collage inspired by Charles Simic's "A Wedding in Hell". I liked how each picture seems as though it captures scenes in the story and makes you feel as though you are there and witnessing the story unfold before your eyes.

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  2. I liked the topographical map by Scott Carrier's "Running after Antelope". I found this piece of artwork interesting, because the endless roads give a sense of multiple paths one could use to reach a goal.

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  3. I like the photo collage of a wedding in hell by Charles Simic just because ive done photo collage projects in my art class and i see them as a way to tell a story not just through words by multiple pictures that help tie it together. Also the Lone dog photo in the collage looks cool to me by the way!

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  4. I liked the q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations". It's cool to see someone take objects that are viewed as ordinary and insignificant to then turn them into art.

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  6. I liked the q-tip structure because they used something so simple to make a 3D object that represents or symbolizes a story. The fact that it's made out of q-tip makes it interesting and causes one to think about the time and patience it must have taken to build such intricate piece.

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  7. I really like the painting Gabrial Marquez did. It is so good and detailed that it really catches your eye and makes you wonder what the story is about. The coloring they did is also very beautiful.

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  8. When it comes to expressing how I really feel and putting my Imagination to work, it typically comes across in my writing. I think writing from the perspective of one of the characters would bring would I have to say to life.

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  9. I really liked the drawing that was inspired by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira". I really like that example because the colors that were used in the drawing catches my attention. The bright colors used make the girl stand out more and make me want to know the story behind it.

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  10. My favorite drawing is by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira". I like the colors used and the fact that the lady in the drawing does not look innocent giving a contrasting view of the title. the way her shoulder is placed gives her a sultry look.

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  11. I like the Q-tip picture the best because q-tips are such a simple thing and they made it into something so intricate. I wish I had creativity like that.

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  12. My favorite creative representation is the painting inspired by Orhan Pamuk's "The New Life". Everything on the painting represents something seems in the story. I like how almost every item painted has a quote from the story that tells a little more about it's representation.
    -Marlene Herrera

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  13. I really enjoyed the song that was inspired by Anne Sexton's Transformation. I think it takes a lot of confidence to put yourself out there and sing in front of people. I also give that group lots of credit for putting the extra hard work of writing the lyrics, adding musical instruments to it, and recording it and uploading it. However, I don't think my creativity is best expressed through singing, but instead through paintings or even dioramas.

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  14. All of the creations were nice, but the one I personally liked the most was the song inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations”. I feel like this was creativity at its finest. Pictures, sculptures, and paintings do indeed speak to people, but for me, music definitely speaks volume in terms of trying to express a feeling, thought, or emotion. I commend this group because it take confidence and skills to do what they did.

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  15. Also, really liked Anne Sextons Q-tip picture, seems so intricate.

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  16. I enjoyed the song "The Face of Envy". It presents the way she wants to perceive herself and the person she wants to be.

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  17. I liked the painting inspired by "The New Life" by Orhan Pamuk. I like how the painting includes symbols that the artist feels is significant. I also like how some quotes are included. It gives a great idea of what the story represents.

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  18. My favorite creation was the q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations." The bridge appeared very unique compared to the other creations. I like how the bridge was made out of q-tip, it was something different.

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  19. My favorite creation was the topographical map. I liked how a bit of color made the whole picture como to life, like the flowers & leaves around it. I also liked how it showed many different routes but didnt till you were it ended or what or who it lead to giving you a sense of curiosity almost like how life works, filled with different paths some could be good and some could be bad.

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  20. My favorite creation was the "Wedding In Hell" by Charles Simic. This was my favorite because of the different pictures that were in the collage. The pictures and descriptions weren't of specific people either which was so interesting to me. They were just random people buying flowers, a random lost dog and so on. I like the fact that it leaves you wondering why the pictures where of things that didn't correlate with anything.

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  21. I really enjoy photography myself because a photograph can capture something I the moment that the photographer thought was inspiring and important to be able to relive or re-tell the story to others. Sometimes people can look at a photograph and apply it to their own lives just as we all do with poetry

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  22. My favorite creation would have to be the painting by Gabrial Garcia Marquez because it has a lot of detail and it expresses everything from the painting with color that has a lot of meaning. i would find it easier for me to express myself through paintings and drawings.

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  23. All of the examples look really cool and show a lot of creativity! But the one I like the most is probably the drawing and painting. I believe that pictures do say a lot and can tell a story. It is an easier way to express one's thoughts/feelings.

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  24. The art piece that I liked more was the one drawing that was inspired by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira. I liked that painting because I like the colors the artist used. The painting reminded me of the Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. The artist really took their time drawing it, it has a lot of little details from the eyes to the feathers by her arms. The colors the author used for the background make her stand out more.

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  25. I like the q tip sculpture inspired by "Transformations". It looks like he put a lot of effort into his artwork and it looks really good. The bridge is well crafted and very unique from the other artwork although everything is very creative.

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  26. I enjoyed "Face of Envy" inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations" the most out of all the amazing artworks. I personally have a passion for music and play the guitar, so this particular piece captivated me the most. Not only did I find the instruments interesting, but the lyrics of the song itself, presenting the theme of physical appearances and how the persona wishes to look. The group's creativity and dedication is visible very as well.

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  27. Each picture displays there own self identity, the one in which that captured me the most was the transformation, these piece of art captures San Francisco bridge perfectly and creatively it makes for a very intricate and complex piece of art. That uses a recognizable symbol and themes recreates it

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  28. The picture which really interested me was the topographical map inspired by Scott Carrier's "Running After Antelope". I interpreted the message of this map to be that there are many paths which lead to a certain destination. This was meaningful to me because often times we want everything to go as planned, yet don't realize that although we go through obstacles, once we overcome them we can reach our intended destination. For example, there are many who become parents at a young age and have to put a pause on their goals or "destinations" because they now have different priorities in life, yet fail to realize that now they will have yet another reason and motivation to reach their destination. Things do not always go as planned, yet through dedication and handwork, we will arrive at our destinations, regardless of the route we take to get there.

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  29. I really like the 3D picture of the q-tips. What a great idea to represent an art of poetry through basic house hold utensils. What a great form of patience that piece of art had to acquire because it looks like a lot of q-tips for that bridge. I like it overall, it looks very detailed!

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  30. I would like to do In the Shadow of War by Ben Okri either by drawing a picture of what I see the story is about or writing about what the author sees as if I was in the story. I'm not very good at drawing but my mind relaxes as I can openly use my imagination to recreate the scenes in the book like drawing a darken black garment ghost passing by every afternoon or the left half of the paper is a village where Omovo lived while the other is a mirror of war and destruction. I would like to be graded individually.

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  31. The topography piece inspired by Scott Carrier’s, “Running after Antelope” was the most intriguing for me personally. After taking a geology course, which involved making topographic maps in the field –three days in the Mojave, leaves me with an appreciation for even the slightest rendering of one now. This piece forced my curiosity; I had to know the inspiration for the details. Why was there vegetation and rocks on the map? The antelope are located in only three locations, which were at the highest elevations? I searched for what I thought was a short story or poem, just a fast read to satisfy my curiosity.
    My brief interpretation is as follows, the vegetation symbolizes life for a specific species, and in this case it was dear. Exploring the biomes of another species, leads to self-discovery about your own population. Sometimes this happens because you stepped out of your own environment yet discovered a reflection of your own capabilities. This extends to unity in the human race.
    The locations of antelope on the map represent the three stages of endurance these creatures have as a survival mechanism. I only listened to a short reading of this novel on public radio; however I am looking forward to reading it in its entirety after finals, because I don’t know if it’s possible to run after an antelope an actually catch it. I also have a great appreciation for the creativity inspired in this artwork or more appropriately - ekphrasis.

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  32. This was hard decision because I really like both the drawing "Innocent Erendira" and the photographed pictures "A Wedding in Hell". The person took pictures of simple things that seem to not have a meaning but in my opinion, I believe any photo taken can describe many things that is happening in that very moment that picture was captured. However the drawing was my first favorite because first of all this is a beautiful drawing. I like how the drawing has these very bright but soft colors, which caught my attention when I first saw it. I feel like those colors were chosen for a reason and they play a big role in the story that it is talking about; it also leaves me wondering what the story is about and why this specific drawing was chosen.

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  33. I liked the photo collage of "A Wedding in Hell" the best out of these choices. The photos were able to capture a lot of emotion which you didn't really get from the other projects. A picture can capture a moment in its entirety and give a clear image of what is being portrayed which lets you piece together the rest of the story.

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  34. Jocelyne RodriguezMay 17, 2016 at 8:55 AM

    The example I liked the most was titled "Innocent Erendira" by Gabrial Garcia Marquez. From the drawing, you can really tell that the artist took the time to draw it by all the detail shown and by all the color they incorporated in the drawing. By drawing a picture, the artist isn't limited to anything and is able to express emotions that the characters are feeling from the poem. Overall, the drawing is the example that stood out to me and I enjoyed the most.

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  35. The q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations" stuck out to me the most. The sculpture is a great play I feel on just how strong one can be with united with many. The patience put in, time, work all excites me in the work of art as well. One can really appreciate the beauty it has, but also the message it conveys. I feel that the method and relaxation one would get from making a sculpture like this is that similar to what the feelings one gets from reading a book.

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  36. Jessica RodriguezMay 17, 2016 at 9:09 AM

    I liked the drawing that was inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira". The reason why I liked it the most is because I believe drawing a picture always shows others the way we feel about something or the importance or what we are trying to show others through the drawing.

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  37. I think the idea of writing music was pretty awesome, the fact that not everyone can play an instrument so it takes skill, also that everyone has their own interpretation of music as well.

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  38. The visual work that is my favorite is "Transformations by Anne Sexton. From just looking at the detail in the structure, one can automatically tell that this work took alot of time. Also I like how the artist used Q-tips which is so random but also so clever.

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  39. The art peice that I like the most is q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne Sexton's "Transformations". The reason why I like it the most is because I'm a Computer Engineering major and I like how he built it. It looks like it has a sturdy structure.

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  40. The example the stood out to me was the drawing inspired by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira". By drawing a picture the artist was able to show us what the story meant to them and interrupt it in their own way.

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  41. I like the painting called "The New Life" it reminds me of something I had to do in an art class where you had to describe things you liked with drawings and paintings. It is really hard to describe myself in writing, but it comes much easier with art.

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  42. The work of art I liked was the topographical map "Running after antelope" because I always believe that if you fail you have to find another way and this drawing looks like it's showing all the possible ways to catch the antelope.

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  43. The picture that stood out to me the most was "transformation" because the author made his design out of q-tips. I feel the reason he used q-tips was because the world is fragile. At any moment something can happen and destroy something that is very valuable to us. Another reason why I think he designed the bridge out of q-tips is because nothing in life is permanent, so he designed it out of something that can change relatively easily versus something that would be harder like concrete.
    -Stephanie Hurtado

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  44. The picture I liked was the q-tip sculpture inspired by Anne sexton's because it take great precision to create a sculpture of that magnitude with just q-tips. Also I thought it might be fun to try to make a sculpture myself with q-tips.

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  45. The drawing inspired by Gabrial Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erendira" stood out to me the most. I admire people who have such a talent in drawing because I myself am terrible at it. I feel like this drawing represents culture and how it can be so beautiful in many ways. The details used in this drawing is incredible and makes it stand out. The colors are bright and attract attention. Overall it is a beautiful drawing.

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  46. I liked the q-tip sculpture because it was such a unique way to create a piece of art and tie it in so well with the work. The thought behind the sculpture makes me appreciate the piece so much more, and I like the creativity.

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