A Painter as a Poet

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A Painter as a Poet

Each of these words could easily describe the fervent brushstrokes on a painters

canvas. However, it is the passion of E.E. Cummings poetry that they are meant to express.

The words and designs of his works embody the same breathless quality contained in

modern art. It is no surprise that he was an open-minded critic, attentive observer, inspired

participant, and devoted lover of various art forms besides his renowned poetry. The

concepts of impulsive creation which are evident in art are also apparent in Cummings’

poems. From the first publication of his works to the last they have remained free of

confining syntactic and rigid guidelines. The exact way an impressionist painter may use

potent color to convey the essence of his paining; Cummings uses vivid words to attract

the reader and make their subconscious feel his point before their mind understands it.

The use of this rare technique is how he has originated a small miracle in each individual

poem. By attaining a comprehension of Cummings’ relationship to art, a reader can be

illuminated with a heightened respect for his unique and rousing poetry.

In 1945, Estlin Cummings wrote this winsome dialogue between himself and a

hypothetical interviewer:

" Oh yes, one more question:

where will you live after this war is over? "

" In China as usual. "

" China? "

" Of course. "

" Whereabouts in China? "

" Where a painter is a poet. "

It playfully expresses his sense of art as a single, indivisible category. During his lifetime,

from 1894 to 1962, he did not yield to any boundaries and promoted the intermingling of

different artistic outlets. That mindset is what instigated his writing of the ballet, " Tom "

based on Uncle Tom’s C...

... middle of paper ...

... inevitably take his crayon outside the lines, and

even careen entirely off the page. At the age of five or six however, that same child will

strive to shade inside the preexisting image and will have accepted society’s pragmatic

approach to art. In the devising of his poetry Cummings has utilized the toddlers

technique. That is what makes his works emanate a uninhibited and even slightly

rebellious charm. His poetic flamboyance proves that sometimes change is the only thing

stable. Just as art during the Renaissance period, his writing style was in constant stages of

rebirth.

Bibliography:

Bibliography

1. Cummings, E.E. Complete Poems 1913 - 1962

New York, NY: Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich, Inc. 1968

2. Cummings, E.E. Viva

New York: Liverright

1931

3. Marks, Barry A. E.E. Cummings

Boston: Twayne Publishers

1964

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