Poetic interpretation, please.

Have you ever asked your class, "What does this art object mean?" only to have students react with unthinking guesses or looks of unknowing? Learning to read artworks, much like learning to read words, simply requires practice and guidance. Good skills of interpretation are acquired over time and in small, sequential steps.

One way to develop interpretative ability in students is through the use of poetry. Interpreting artworks with poetry provides multiple opportunities for students to focus upon the most important ideas expressed by artists while simultaneously allowing creative use of language. Applying poetry formats to hone in on the most important points in works of art seems a perfect fit.

Two Poetry Formats to Consider

There are many poetry forms that are effectual when interpreting art objects. Two of the best poetry formats to consider are acrostics and cinquains. Both compel close observation to select the best words to describe, analyze, and interpret art.

An acrostic is a poem that usually does not rhyme. It can be read vertically and horizontally. When read vertically, the first letter on each line creates a word, phrase, or sentence. Each horizontal line of can also be composed of a single word, phrase, or sentence.

To create an interpretative acrostic, write the title of a work of art vertically on a page, one letter to a line, then pinpoint the most important ideas expressed by the artwork. The most interesting acrostics are frequently those that start a sentence on one line and end it on another. Here is an acrostic written by a sixth-grade student about a well-known painting:

Masterpiece Of Leonardo. Now we wonder About her smile. Look! Is She as Aloof as she seems?

A cinquain is a poem of five lines that has specific rules to follow. The first line is a single word (a noun), the second line contains two words (both adjectives that describe the noun), the third line has three action verbs, the fourth line is a four-word phrase, and the final line is a synonym for the first line. Cinquains do not always rhyme. The following is a cinquain written by a fifth-grade student about the same well-known painting:

Mona Tranquil Mysterious Smiling Unsmiling Smiling What is the secret? Lisa

Guidelines for Interpreting Artwork through Poetry

1. Assign students to small collaborative groups or teams of two.

2. Provide an art print or postcard to each group.

3. Furnish handouts of the poetry format that will be used. If specific parts of speech are to be considered, indicate where each part of speech is to be incorporated in the poem.

4. Review the parts of speech to be used in the poem. Words selected for any interpretative poem should be supported by evidence found in the art object and by contextual information.

5. Allow ample time for groups to investigate artwork and to revise their poems.

6. Ask each group to share their interpretative poem with the class. How has the poem captured the meaning of the artwork? How does the poem help the viewer to have greater understanding of the artist's intent?

A Final Note

Consider both the poetry form and the artwork before implementing the poem as an interpretative tool. Keep the concepts of the style of poetry correlated to the type of art. Because haiku poetry contains a season word, this form interprets landscape images well. Limericks interpret artworks with a sense of humor. Concrete poems effectively interpret artworks that are created from recognizable objects and figures. After students become adept at poetic interpretation of art, try other more complex poems such as calligram, free form, sonnet, and rubiayat.

Extensions

* Post all poems beside the masterwork that they interpret.

* Implement poetry formats as a critique mechanism. Ask students to critique their own or other student's artwork with an appropriate poetry format.

The National Content Standards for the Visual Arts state that students should understand connections among the various art forms and other disciplines. Poetic interpretation fulfills this obligation as well as several others. Through the use of interpretative poems, students gain an understanding of how artists and poets see and record the world; they learn to slow down and observe artwork with more care, and they learn to seek and express meaning.

Cinquain Format

Line 1: An important noun

Line 2: Two important adjectives

Line 3: Three important action verbs

Line 4: An important four-word phrase

Line 5: A synonym for the important noun

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry.

Pamela Geiger Stephens is an elementary art specialist in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District, Bedford, Texas.