Prompt for Project III—Spring 2017



Poetry as a genre is often difficult to define and describe. In poetry we use alphabet text almost exclusively and the way we communicate description is sometimes very close to that of prose. But as a genre poetry has subtle characteristics that can be distinct from prose. Although specific and intentional language choice is important in both poetry and prose, poets often choose unusual and even unique ways of describing an object, event, or person. Sometimes poetry will rely more heavily on the way words sound than does prose. Poetry can also vary greatly in its form, for example, the tight and specific form of the traditional sonnet, and the open, more conversational blank verse. One specific sub-genre of poetry is called ekphrasis, in which the poet describes a particular artistic object. Traditionally this kind of poetry can focus upon something very simple, such as a piece of pottery or jewelry. In its more contemporaneous form this kind of poetry focuses upon a type of visual art, such as a famous painting (for example, Childe Hassam`s painting, Boston Common at Twilight), but may also reflect a response to an avant garde artifact, like a poetic response to walking through Central park in New York in 2005 and enjoying Christo and Jean-Claude`s saffron colored fabric banners. For our project you will be creating 20-30 lines of poetry (in 1 or 2 or 3 separate poems), describing one of the paintings in the exhibition called Wilson/Cortor in the Frances Vrachos gallery (144) and the Mary Stamas gallery (153) at the Museum of Fine Arts on Huntington Ave. (across from NU). This project has five steps:

1. Go to the museum (bring your NU ID card so you do not have to pay an entrance fee) and spend some time walking around both galleries.



2. Pick one picture that interests you and take a picture of it with your phone. You should also take notes as you experience the original, because, although you will have a picture of the painting on your phone, your responses may be different as you view the original. 





3. Then compose a poem, or a series of poems that describe the picture you have chosen. Try to use original and imaginative language, but remember to describe the whole of the picture and its detail and context in some way. It may suggest or remind you of some experience of your own and, if you like, include this experience in your poetry.



4. Don`t read anything about this exhibit before you write. I am more interested in why you think Wilson and Cortor present particular scenes in a certain way than I am in hearing about them as artists (I can Google too). Do not include any research on either the painter or on the subject beyond your own imagination. In addition you may want to read about Ekphrasis if you wish—although this is not necessary for this project. 



5. Include the subject/picture with your poem(s).