Edited by Nicholas Roy Butcher, Sunday 11 April 2021 at 14:56
Dear Blog,
Our recent studies on the Humanities Access Module have centred around the techniques of poetry, such as rhyme schemes, metre, alliteration and the use of metaphor and simile to create memorable images.
I was reminded of a Leonardo da Vinci quote, in which he argues that - 'If you call painting dumb poetry, the painter may call poetry blind painting.'
This is a relatively famous and well-loved quote, but if one considers it literally, the painter doesn't need to be able to speak to be able to translate what he sees on to the canvas. The poet, however, must be able to see what he is describing in the first instance, to be able to find the words to describe it. Luckily, the meaning of the quote runs much deeper and is a poignant observation on the way that true artists are able to translate their experience of the world in a purposeful and memorable way, using their own unique talents.
The painter, for example, must have a vast array of colours at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate them, and a talent for good observation. Likewise, the poet must have a vast knowledge of vocabulary at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate that vocabulary, and a talent for good observation. (This is slightly different to the musical composer, who must have a vast array of musical note combinations at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate them, and a talent for aural observation.)
Good poetry, then, like good painting, stems from good observation. But this is not as simple as it sounds. Observation is not as straightforward as just looking at something and noting down its physical qualities, it also involves an emotional and intellectual understanding of a place or situation.
I am lucky enough to be in the possession of a book called 'Self-Portraits', which is a crossover between the worlds of art and poetry. It is a collection of poems by a man called David Pollard, who studied a vast array of self-portraits by a large number of painters from across the centuries, and painted his own observations on these masters using his knowledge of words, and technical ability to manipulate those words. It is truly the work of a master wordsmith, and includes an observation on the self-portrait created by Leonardo da Vinci himself (Red Chalk on Paper - 1510).
Great artists, then, have gained a knowledge and understanding of their chosen subject, developed the technical ability to manipulate the tools at their disposal, and have been able to use these skills to interpret and translate their own unique view of the world onto paper or canvas. And they have managed to do this time and time again. And so to close, Blog, I am going to make use of another famous quote from the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle;
'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit...'
Blind Painting
Dear Blog,
Our recent studies on the Humanities Access Module have centred around the techniques of poetry, such as rhyme schemes, metre, alliteration and the use of metaphor and simile to create memorable images.
I was reminded of a Leonardo da Vinci quote, in which he argues that - 'If you call painting dumb poetry, the painter may call poetry blind painting.'
This is a relatively famous and well-loved quote, but if one considers it literally, the painter doesn't need to be able to speak to be able to translate what he sees on to the canvas. The poet, however, must be able to see what he is describing in the first instance, to be able to find the words to describe it. Luckily, the meaning of the quote runs much deeper and is a poignant observation on the way that true artists are able to translate their experience of the world in a purposeful and memorable way, using their own unique talents.
The painter, for example, must have a vast array of colours at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate them, and a talent for good observation. Likewise, the poet must have a vast knowledge of vocabulary at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate that vocabulary, and a talent for good observation. (This is slightly different to the musical composer, who must have a vast array of musical note combinations at their disposal, the technical ability to manipulate them, and a talent for aural observation.)
Good poetry, then, like good painting, stems from good observation. But this is not as simple as it sounds. Observation is not as straightforward as just looking at something and noting down its physical qualities, it also involves an emotional and intellectual understanding of a place or situation.
I am lucky enough to be in the possession of a book called 'Self-Portraits', which is a crossover between the worlds of art and poetry. It is a collection of poems by a man called David Pollard, who studied a vast array of self-portraits by a large number of painters from across the centuries, and painted his own observations on these masters using his knowledge of words, and technical ability to manipulate those words. It is truly the work of a master wordsmith, and includes an observation on the self-portrait created by Leonardo da Vinci himself (Red Chalk on Paper - 1510).
Great artists, then, have gained a knowledge and understanding of their chosen subject, developed the technical ability to manipulate the tools at their disposal, and have been able to use these skills to interpret and translate their own unique view of the world onto paper or canvas. And they have managed to do this time and time again. And so to close, Blog, I am going to make use of another famous quote from the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle;
'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit...'