A Apainter A Poet Essay Research Paper

A Apainter A Poet Essay, Research Paper

A Painter as a Poet

Tammie K. Hamming

Period 2

” A painter as a Poet ”

visual

aB

stract

symbolic

in

tense ( an

imated )

spo

n

tanious

Inventive

ill

u( strative

cOntemPor

a

r

y

Each of these words could easily describe the fervent brushstrokes on a painters

canvas. However, it is the passion of E.E. Cummings poetry that they are meant to express.

The words and designs of his works embody the same breathless quality contained in

modern art. It is no surprise that he was an open-minded critic, attentive observer, inspired

participant, and devoted lover of various art forms besides his renowned poetry. The

concepts of impulsive creation which are evident in art are also apparent in Cummings’

poems. From the first publication of his works to the last they have remained free of

confining syntactic and rigid guidelines. The exact way an impressionist painter may use

potent color to convey the essence of his paining; Cummings uses vivid words to attract

the reader and make their subconscious feel his point before their mind understands it.

The use of this rare technique is how he has originated a small miracle in each individual

poem. By attaining a comprehension of Cummings’ relationship to art, a reader can be

illuminated with a heightened respect for his unique and rousing poetry.

In 1945, Estlin Cummings wrote this winsome dialogue between himself and a

hypothetical interviewer:

” Oh yes, one more question:

where will you live after this war is over. ”

” In China as usual. ”

” China. ”

” Of course. ”

” Whereabouts in China. ”

” Where a painter is a poet. ”

It playfully expresses his sense of art as a single, indivisible category. During his lifetime,

from 1894 to 1962, he did not yield to any boundaries and promoted the intermingling of

different artistic outlets. That mindset is what instigated his writing of the ballet, ” Tom ”

based on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a collection of his charcoal, pencil, and water color pictures

entitled CICPW, Eimi, a journal of his trip to Soviet Russia, and Anthropos: The Future

of Art. These other exceptional layers to his creative genius are revealed in his poetry in

many ways. Finding them enables the reader to agree with his reference to himself as ” an

author of pictures and a draftsman of words “.

E.E. Cummings was aware of the inevitable frustration readers may endure while

studying the first page of his last volume of poetry, 95 poems. With that assumption in

mind, he issued a warning: ” Watch out! This poem is not for the faint-hearted. It will not

yield to those who merely want their prejudices caressed. Open up! ” This unconventional

piece looked as follows:

l(a

le

af

fa

ll

s)

one

l

iness

Immediate arguments arose once it was exposed to the public in 1958, because as far as

critics were concerned, it didn’t say anything. Its vital purpose was not to promote certain

opinions or thoughts on loneliness. Instead, it was meant to leave the reader with a

nostalgic feeling of it. The artistic design it forms on the page is an entity of genius in

itself. From the ” L ” to the ” iness ” the arrangement of letters is like that of a drifting leaf.

Cummings has not deepened or extended the literal meaning of the leaf falling, instead, he

has added to it a visual quality that is solely aesthetic. He has used the black print of a

typewriter to ” paint ” the image across the page. It is much like a sculptor’s masterpiece

which evokes a feeling without speaking of it. For example, ” The Thinker ” by Paul

Rodin, even without the revealing title the bronze incarnation of a pensively posed man

suggests the idea of thinking. Basically, Cummings has indulged the readers’ imagination

by representing loneliness with ink and allowing their own perceptions to determine any

further values.

In Pablo Picasso’s paintings Cummings recognized a perspective that was equally

as fresh and personal as his own. In a poetic tribute to this great contemporary artist,

Cummings voices his own aesthetic as well as Picasso’s it begins:

” Picasso you give us Things

which

bulge . . . ” ( Poems 1923 – 1954 )

Cummings continues by praising Picasso’s ability to exaggerate the raw beauty of the

world and leave what is obvious and conventional vague . . .

” you make us shrill

presents always

shut in the sumptuous screech of simplicity ”

This exuberant display of words describes the same technique Cummings uses in his

poetry. Just as Picasso has bravely graced the faces of portraits with only one eye,

Cummings has written with an abstract originality. Both, as Cummings

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать