Translating poetry into imagery through illustration

Abstract

A poet can be considered a painter in that poems are animated with mental images. However, is poetry more palpable if combined with illustration? This dissertation explores the possibility of enhancing a series of poems written by a close friend who feels deeply connected to natural phenomena and thereby concerned with philosophy and spirituality. The project's focus is to depict each poem with figurative images that reflect and enhance the spirit of the narrated poem, expanding the written word to a more portrayed format in a style that is prevalent on social media today and therefore could be attractive to many. Besides looking into the evolution of narration and drawing, the research includes a brief history of poetry and poetry as a form of communication, followed by illustration as visual communication to understand the basics of cognition to provide a more profound theoretical knowledge of graphic illustrations and poetic content. Vivid illustrations that associate both poetry and art to provide further meaning and form to the original poetic concept were consequently developed by bringing synergy to the combined perceptions of both poet and artist. Carla Kreuser (2014) effectively states that "the dialogue that develops between poetry and illustration in what is termed an illuminated or vividly represented poem, is considered more than a relation between words and images, as it is also composite art in its own right, by acting as a manifestation rather than being merely illustrative or decorative."