The Mind Creative March 2014
Ekphrasis
Wikipedia describes Ekphrasis as “a rhetorical device in
which one medium of art tries to relate to another
medium by defining and describing its essence and
form, and in doing so, relate more directly to the
audience, through its illuminative liveliness. A
descriptive work of prose or poetry, a film, or even a
photograph may thus highlight through its rhetorical
vividness what is happening, or what is shown in, say,
any of the visual arts, and in doing so, may enhance
the original art and so take on a life of its own through
its brilliant description.” For example, one can create or
shoot a film based on a poem or vice versa. The
technique of Ekphrasis is an ancient technique that was
originally created and used in Greece and in fact traces
of this technique can be seen in Homer’s Iliad
In this section, Lopa Banerjee uses photographic
art as an inspiration for her poem “Rowing: A Vision
in Collaboration”.
In her own words: “The inspiration for this poem in
five segments or fragments came from a
mesmerizing image captured by my friend Souvik
Chakraborty. Based in Pittsburg, USA, Souvik is a
researcher and an avid photographer who has
already won accolades for his photos nationwide.
This particular photo, titled ‘Contemplation’ has
already been published in the prestigious Stark
Magazine issue. 22.”
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