Ekphrastic poetry is built on ekphrasis, a rhetorical device defined as the written description of a work of art, either real or imagined. Since classical antiquity, ekphrasis has been used as a technique in poetry, and beyond its descriptive qualities it was also used to evoke strong emotional responses in the reader, using vivid language and evidence to prompt images in the reader's mind's eye.
Facts
Place of OriginAncient Greece (classical antiquity) 1 Notable ExampleJohn Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn, a frequently cited example of ekphrastic poetry in which the speaker muses on a piece of ancient pottery and the story depicted on it. 1 Defining TraitPoetry built on ekphrasis, the vivid written description of a real or imagined work of art. 1 Sources
1. Ekphrasis (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead section
is a rhetorical device defined as the written description of a work of art, either real or imagined.
History/Overview section
John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is another frequently cited example of ekphrasis. In the poem, the speaker muses on a piece of ancient pottery, likely an amphora, and the story depicted on it.
lead section, second sentence
Since classical antiquity, ekphrasis has been used as a technique in poetry
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