Ekphrastic Poetry Explained: How to Write Ekphrastic Poems

Ekphrastic poetry is a written form that highlights a visual work of art. “Ekphrastic” derives from the Greek word for description​​. Ancient Greeks used ekphrasis as a rhetorical exercise to verbalize the actions, descriptions, and significance of events, histories, and art. Art historians use ekphrasis to write about artwork; ekphrastic poetry, then, takes a creative approach to articulating works of art and is often executed via highly dramatic, vivid descriptions. Many twentieth-century American poets, including W. H. Auden and William Carlos Williams, experimented with ekphrastic poetry, breathing new life and interpretations into classical works of art.

Ekphrastic writing is a creative writing form that invites dynamic descriptions and personal interpretations of visual art. Follow these steps to write an ekphrastic poem:

1. 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. The work can be from any period and take any form, such as a painting, sculpture, mural, etc.
2. 2. Write down what you see. Ekphrastic poems describe and respond to art, so jumpstart your poetry writing process by articulating what you see in the art. Simply write what you see, narrate the events, and describe the colors, tone, medium, and characters in the piece of art.
3. 3. Pick a form. Ekphrastic poems can take on many forms. Your work might be a sonnet, a haiku, or a longer poem with multiple stanzas written in free verse. No matter the form, ekphrastic poems exist to respond to a piece of art critically, analytically, and reverentially.
4. 4. Write from a specific point of view. How your poem responds to the chosen art depends on your angle. Decide on your angle and sharpen it. Your piece may be a series of questions interrogating the art, a reimagining of the narrative it offers, a modernization of its story held up against contemporary politics or themes, or anything else that helps readers recontextualize the pre-existing piece of art.

Art often responds to or is inspired by other art. As such, ekphrastic poems have existed for centuries. A few notable examples of ekphrasis include:

1. 1. The Iliad (c. 762 BC): This ancient Greek, epic poem’s attribution is typically given to Homer. This famous example employs a unique form of ekphrastic poetry as the work responds to mythical events, mainly the Trojan War and the lives of King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. As such, Homer imagined and vividly described many elements of ancient lore, including the shield of Achilles, putting his interpretation on fantastical myths.
2. 2. “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1819): Poet John Keats employs a direct address to speak forthrightly to the moving figures found on an ancient artifact. In “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” Keats expresses and questions what the painted people on the urn could be doing, both imagining and narrating their actions.
3. 3. “The Starry Night” (1962): Vincent van Gogh's iconic oil painting The Starry Night (1889) inspired Anne Sexton's poem of the same name. In the work—a visceral response to van Gogh's masterpiece—Sexton occasionally mentions specific details from the painting and uses her poem as a springboard to articulate the beautiful chaos innate to the painting and how that reflects her own emotions.
4. 4. Men in the Off Hours (2000): In this collection, author Anne Carson includes a suite of poems entitled “Hopper: Confessions,” a reflection on the paintings of Edward Hopper. Carson discusses the effect of time on the works, especially Nighthawks, the iconic 1942 Edward Hopper painting where the diners seem trapped in a glass box that offers no exit.

Become a better writer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Billy Collins, Joy Harjo, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, Dan Brown, and more.