Mastery of The Visual Tapestry

To master an understanding of poetic representations as the evocation of a visual experience for the reader, one must first synthesize the interaction between the two mediums interconnected in ekphrastic poetry- the written signifiers and the image. This interaction is visible in the poems, “Brazil, January 1, 1502” by Elizabeth Bishop and “Sea Unicorns and Land Unicorns” by Marianne Moore. Both Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Bishop challenge the more conventional modes of poetic representation. Both poems are an ekphrasis of a tapestry: the visible language depicted by a diction that alludes to an artist honing an artistic piece is projected through the active medium of writing and voice.