Illustration Friday - Feet
In poetry, the term foot refers to the basic unit used in the scansion or measurement of metrical verse. A foot usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables. Certain poetic forms require not only a specific kind of meter, but also a set number of feet per line. Shakespeare, for example, wrote his plays and sonnets in iambic pentameter - five feet per line, with each foot comprised of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.
The Muses of Greek mytholgy are goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences, invoked by poets and musicians for inspiration. Although there were originally many Muses, the Greeks favored nine: Calliope (epic or heroic poetry), Clio (historical and heroic poetry), Erato (love and erotic poetry), Euterpe (music and lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (eloquence and dance), Terpsichore (dancing and the dramatic chorus), Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry), and Urania (astronomy and astrology). Each Muse had a paticular object associated with her art. Erato, the muse of lyrical love and erotic poetry, is usually depicted with a lyre.
In his poem "On the Sonnet," John Keats writes about the poet's attempt to reconcile the demands of poetric structure with the pure inspiration of the Muses:
If by dull rhymes our English must be chain'd,
And, like Andromeda, the Sonnet sweet
Fetter'd, in spite of pained loveliness,
Let us find, if we must be constrain'd,
Sandals more interwoven and complete
To fit the naked foot of Poesy:
Let us inspect the Lyre, and weigh the stress
Of every chord, and see what may be gain'd
By ear industrious, and attention meet;
Misers of sound and syllable, no less
Than Midas of his coinage, let us be
Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown;
So, if we may not let the Muse be free,
She will be bound with garlands of her own.
(ink drawing/collage colored in photoshop)
70 Comments:
Great interpretation of the theme!
I like your "greek" style, great picture!
I love the way you've used Keats' words to make your work come more alive. I'm amazed at how well Keats was able to evoke sensuous experience, seeing as he died at a very young 26. He must have either had a lot of experience, or he was a young man with a vivid imagination.
And thanks for the little poetry lesson...that brought me back about 12 years.
Beautiful art and interpretation of the theme Carla! I love to learn from you and this is such a wealth of info in such a rich and glorious post!
I thought you might approach the definition of feet in regards to poetry. Very nice composition and fantastic job on her hands and robe. Good placement of the hints of color throughout. Another great "lady" for your collection! :-)
This is such a unique take on the theme. You always manage to surprise us. Another great job by Carla!
A very fine way to look at the subject. Your illo is very beautiful, could be a decoration on a vase of wine.
nice interpretation! I love your work!
Lovely illo & lovely verse... keep'in us cultured... for FREE!
Smooch,
The Tart
Such a clever idea, and a wonderful illo as always - well done!
Nice interpretation, and great style !
Carla,
I love the connection to the keates poem. I like how you incorporated so much detail in the robe and such graceful positioning with the hands. I was just thinking today about going and buying some nice blue and green acrylics.
Really nice work.
Wonderful illo. Great take on the theme and so informative. Thanks.
love
so long time i last read keats poem. i like this one you have chosen and the texts before thanks for the info. you have used ink and it's very beautiful! the blue color on the dress and the line strokes made her gown shines.
I love how you interpreted "feet" in an unexpected way.
A very interesting interpretation of the theme, and a wonderful illustration.
This piece holds together really well, Carla. Strong design and the border is really different and interesting.
Keats, Muses (Musii?), witty and erudite -- a lovely post.
thankyou for the story.
ooh, i actually thought of going this route for this particular topic... you did it justice with your illo and poem. absolutely lovely.
I like the wild brushstrokes in this illo! Especially the man's hair!
Your depiction of Erato is serene and engaging, with Keats and your narrative your illo has an appealing and enlightening feel to it.
Fab. Illustration!
Great drawing. I also liked the education that you provided about poetry. I never knew that there was so much involved in writing it.
Love that you picked the lyre and lovely maiden. Thought provoking, informative and beautiful. The world is interested in tid bits and tastes of many flavors. What a shame that so many of us were turned off of poetry, the language of literature, mythology, etc. etc. etc. by heavy handed teachers or.... being "taught to the test."
Wow, what a wonderful/beautiful take on this weeks theme. Very true to your style.
I love it!
a.
Wonderful angelic person; very unique representation.
A beautiful illustration and a very interesting, educational post. You must be a wonderful teacher! Sounds like Keats is ahead of his time here, wanting to break free of the restrictions that existed within his culture, the structural restrictions imposed upon the arts of his time. Not that meter isn't beautiful--it's just that--heck, when the muse hits, the last thing you want to do is make sure you're adhering to some boxed-in rhythmic scheme.
Awesome interpretation! I love the image, too!
Like the archaic feel, and her posture and the position of the instrument lend an otherwordly element to it. Thanks for the info too. It's cool wondering what their might be to see and learn here!
Beautiful post. It has a Tarot card look to it, to me. Must be the 7 of Strings.
I came across similar themes in researching my 'feet' post, though in another way. I was on the 'winged feet' idea and discovered that it was Hermes who is credited with creating the lyre. I tried to incorporate that, but it was ditched in the end. So I was delighted when I came across your post.
I really love your 'tattoo' post.
Best.
Another lovely illustration Carla and the accompanying text and thoughts are always great food for thought.
Geez, Carla I like thhe post and the drawing. Thanks for shearing. Have a good week!
You are just too durn smart. Beautiful illo to compliment another well researched piece. Well done yet again!!
I love this take on the theme Carla - very neat and I like that you chose Erato too. I'm trying to figure out how she is keeping her lyre up... Is it tied to a tree? Very interesting!
Nice work and original take (as always) on the subject!
another wonderful piece!
great interpretation! And nice drawing-
Educational and a beautiful drawing.
I really like the stained glass quality created by breaking up the color blocks.
N.
Nice work, as usual Carla. Glad you listed the media used...I'd have guessed woodcut judging by the wonderful variation in line thickness and limited palette. Beautiful piece.
Wow. Carla! Nice work! And a LOT more thought out than mine, that's for sure. ;o)
~Ray
Hey Carla! Thanks for the cool reading and the beautiful illo
Its interesting how you give your own perspective to the topics
Its great!
Well presented.
Carla you always have such a great take on the illio's! Wonderful this week as well. Beautiful muse!
Oh, but I do like a bit of iambic pentameter! Hmm, the pic could be Loreena McKennitt in a past life :). There's something about the solid intergration of the instrument and musician that I'm not quite sure about - it makes for a pleasing overall form though. Maybe if the lights and darks were made more solid (ie: to bring out the light profile, etc.)...? A lovely pic, in any case.
yizbt
Beautiful, I love the texture and I enjoyed reading the story!
hi, carla.
i love your illustration.
nice colors and contrast.
love it
:)
Beautiful piece of artwork!...and, LOVED your story and verse!
Thanks for the beautiful and informative post.
You are a wonderful artist and writer too. I always am inspired by visiting your blog and seeing what you have come up with for Illustration Friday. Wonderful job
I love your interpretation of the theme and almost more, the lesson. Thinking outside the box!!!
P.S. I have your tattoo advice in mind for the convention that I will be attending on Friday. I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared to get something done there, and eek!!! so soon, but I'll be considering it! : .)
great illustration!!! and loved the lesson on poetry…
This is great. I love the art, and the lesson. Of course, I always feel like such a slacker after I visit your site. But I can live with that :).
I like the lines. The rendering in ink. Again, your vision has a very classical feel to it.
Good one Carla! :)
But what size feet, these muses? I almost put up a pic of a bound foot, 'Let us find, if we must be constrain'd' - would this be a version of Haiku? Lovely illo, as usual!
Unic is what I feel. very educational and talented drawing skills.
I like your take on the topic. It looks like a vintage linoleum print. Really nice work.
you Carla, are a giver. you give to us all in IF. thank you for sharing your wonderful words of inspiration. thank you for sharing your art. you are unique and beautiful!
There is always so much deep thoughts inside the art your produce. Thanks for exposing me in mythology, poetry and philosophy, areas I would't know where to start. :)
yes yes yes!
wonderful take! TY so much!
It is quite clear that your art stands on grounded feet with deep roots into the centuries. That way it can grow large :)
I have falling in love with this site, it is music to my heart and mind! Thnak you!
One of the most original interpretations of the theme this week. Very clever.
Cheers.
Wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed the info on the word "foot". it is really wonderful to actually learn something!
This is lovely, really nicely done. The line work and and colors. Your thought process of foot, was a real treat and very informative.
Oh! This is nice! What is? Ink??
As always, an education when coming to your site. Beautiful illustration. Thanks for your nice comments on runners.
What a wonderfully unique take on the theme "feet". I love the stong dark lines and shading! It does has a wonderful poetic feel to it! Gorgeous!
I love the charming hair of shining serpents and that pretty face of as sad woman as her story. Wonderful illustration!!!
je,je I love this illo too, but my previous comment was for medusa :) I repeat
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