ekphrasis

American  

[ek-fruh-sis] / ˈɛk frə sɪs /

Or ecphrasis

noun

• ekphrases,
  plural
• ecphrases
  plural

1. a literary device consisting of a vivid, detailed description of a visual work of art.

   John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a classic example of ekphrasis.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ecphrastic
  adjective
• ekphrastic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ecphrases
  plural
• ekphrases
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of ekphrasis

First recorded in 1630–40; from Greek: “description,” from ekphrá(zein) “to describe” (from ek- ec- ( def. ) + phrázein “to speak”) + -sis -sis ( def. ); see phrase ( def. )

---

Explanation

Ekphrasis is a technique of writing about a work of visual art in great detail, as when a writer includes a vivid description of a painting in her novel. Ekphrasis is a literary device, a description of art which is so expressive that your reader can imagine it in detail. John Keats' famous "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is one well-known ekphrasis, a detailed reflection on a specific work of art. Ekphrasis can also be spoken or take other artistic forms — for example, your painting of a sculpture is also an ekphrasis, as is the song you wrote describing Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ekphrasis ecphrases

The performance was a kind of call and response, or ekphrasis, with lyrics and chords inspired by Lethem's prose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2018

Lucas started what he calls the ekphrasis series of small soft-covered volumes of art writings, both historical and new.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2018

Take the classic example of ekphrasis: the description of Achilles’ shield in the Iliad.

From The New Yorker ● May 27, 2016

“To that end does anyone know if there is a Greek word to describe paintings inspired by poems, just as ekphrasis describes poems describing a painting?”

From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2015

Ioannou grammatikou Gazes ekphrasis tou kosmikou pinakos tou en       kheimerio loutro.   ig.

From Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology by J. W. (John William) Mackail

There are many "ecphrases" or set descriptions of this kind, and they show a good deal of stock convention.

From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1 From the Beginning to 1800 by George Saintsbury

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---