Visual poetry
Encyclopedia
Visual poetry is poetry
or art
in which the visual arrangement of text, images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work. It is sometimes referred to as concrete poetry
, a term that predates visual poetry, and at one time was synonymous with it.
Visual poetry was heavily influenced by Fluxus
, which is usually described as being Intermedia
. Intermedia work tends to blur the distinctions between different media, and visual poetry blurs the distinction between art and text. Whereas concrete poetry is still recognizable as poetry, being composed of purely typographic elements, visual poetry is generally much less text-dependent. Visual poems incorporate text, but the text may have primarily a visual function. Visual poems often incorporate significant amounts of non-text imagery in addition to text.
There remains some debate regarding the distinction between concrete poetry and visual poetry. There are three dominant views regarding the issue. One view is that visual poetry is synonymous with concrete poetry. A second view is that visual poetry is a type (or sub-category) of concrete poetry. And the last view is that visual poetry has evolved into a visual form distinct from concrete poetry. This view is supported by work identified as visual poetry in which typographic elements are secondary to visual elements, are minimal, or in some cases are absent altogether from the work.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
or art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
in which the visual arrangement of text, images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work. It is sometimes referred to as concrete poetry
Concrete poetry
Concrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
, a term that predates visual poetry, and at one time was synonymous with it.
Visual poetry was heavily influenced by Fluxus
Fluxus
Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning "to flow"—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. They have been active in Neo-Dada noise music and visual art as well as literature, urban planning,...
, which is usually described as being Intermedia
Intermedia
Intermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting...
. Intermedia work tends to blur the distinctions between different media, and visual poetry blurs the distinction between art and text. Whereas concrete poetry is still recognizable as poetry, being composed of purely typographic elements, visual poetry is generally much less text-dependent. Visual poems incorporate text, but the text may have primarily a visual function. Visual poems often incorporate significant amounts of non-text imagery in addition to text.
There remains some debate regarding the distinction between concrete poetry and visual poetry. There are three dominant views regarding the issue. One view is that visual poetry is synonymous with concrete poetry. A second view is that visual poetry is a type (or sub-category) of concrete poetry. And the last view is that visual poetry has evolved into a visual form distinct from concrete poetry. This view is supported by work identified as visual poetry in which typographic elements are secondary to visual elements, are minimal, or in some cases are absent altogether from the work.
Authors
- Babi BadalovBabi BadalovBabi Badalov, Badalov Babakhan Boyukxan oglu, , born on June 18, 1959, in Lerik, a small town near the Iranian border in the Talysh region of Azerbaijan, to an Azeri father and a Talysh mother, is an Azeri visual artist and poet.- Life and work :...
- Julien Blaine
- Joan BrossaJoan BrossaJoan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo (Barcelona, Catalonia,(1919–1998) was a Catalan poet in the Catalan language, playwright, graphic designer and plastic artist. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Set (1948) and one of the...
- Juan Manuel Calleja
- Walter ChiariWalter ChiariWalter Chiari, stage name of Walter Annichiarico , was a hugely successful Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles....
- Valery OişteanuValery OisteanuValery Oişteanu is a Soviet-born Romanian and American poet, art critic, essayist, photographer and performance artist, whose style reflects the influence of Dada and Surrealism. Oişteanu is the author of more than a dozen published books of poetry, a book of short fiction, and a book of essays...
- David TomasiDavid Tomasi- Biography :Born in the hamlet of Laag in the village of Neumarkt, South Tyrol, and a former teacher at the Waldorf School of Verona, Italy, Tomasi served as Assistant Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Verona, where he hold the Photography graduate/undergraduate course for the Visual Art...
- Alejandro Thornton
- Clemente Padin
- Edgardo Antonio Vigo
- Paulo AquaronePaulo AquaronePaulo de Tarso Aquarone is a multimedia Brazilian poet.- Work :* “Poemas Soltos de Mim” ,* “Poemas que Eu Fiz” ,* “Poemas que Vagam” ,* “Poemas de Outono” ,* “Poemas que Eu Conto” ,...
site - Juan Carlos Romero
- List of concrete and visual poets
See also
- Asemic writingAsemic writingAsemic writing is a wordless open semantic form of writing. The word asemic means "having no specific semantic content". With the nonspecificity of asemic writing there comes a vacuum of meaning which is left for the reader to fill in and interpret. All of this is similar to the way one would...
- CalligramCalligramA calligram is a poem, phrase, or word in which the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting is arranged in a way that creates a visual image. The image created by the words expresses visually what the word, or words, say. In a poem, it manifests visually the theme presented by the text of the poem...
- Concrete poetryConcrete poetryConcrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
- Digital artDigital artDigital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
- Digital poetryDigital poetryDigital poetry is a form of electronic literature, displaying a wide range of approaches to poetry, with a prominent and crucial use of computers...
- Fluxus poetryFluxus poetryFluxus poetry is normally created during a performance, an essential difference with visual poetry. The result of the performance can be a text, a visual poem, etc. Dick Higgins was one of the leading Fluxus people who also published his concrete poetry and invented Intermedia...
- FuturismFuturismFuturism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
- IntermediaIntermediaIntermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting...
- Haptic poetryHaptic PoetryHaptic poetry, like visual poetry and sound poetry, is a liminal art form combining characteristics of typography and sculpture to create objects not only to be seen, but to be touched and manipulated...
- LettrismLettrismLettrism is a French avant-garde movement, established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou. In a body of work totaling hundreds of volumes, Isou and the Lettrists have applied their theories to all areas of art and culture, most notably in poetry, film, painting and...
- MicrographyMicrographyMicrography , also called microcalligraphy, is a Jewish form of calligrams developed in the 9th century, with parallels in Christianity and Islam, utilizing minute Hebrew letters to form representational, geometric and abstract designs...
- Net-poetryNet-poetryNet-poetry is a development of net.art, involving poetry. This kind of experimental art was born in several different cities around 1995.-Authors:...
- Something Else PressSomething Else PressSomething Else Press was founded by Dick Higgins in 1963. It published many important Intermedia texts and artworks by Higgins, Ray Johnson, Gertrude Stein, George Brecht, Daniel Spoerri, Bern Porter, John Cage, Emmett Williams and others. The Something Else Press was an early publisher of...
- Video poetryVideo poetryVideo poetry is poetry in video form. It is also known as videopoetry, video-visual poetry, poetronica, poetry video, media poetry, or Cin-Poetry depending on the length and content of the video work and the techniques employed Video poetry is poetry in video form. It is also known as videopoetry,...
- Poesia Visual
External links
- Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection at The Ohio State University Libraries
- e-motive: Visual Poetry in the Digital Age
- From Concrete to Visual Poetry by Klaus Peter Dencker
- UbuWeb, which hosts a large amount of concrete poetry
- Visual poetry of Joaquim Brustenga-Etxauri
- The Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry
- The Visual Poetry Network
- Example of Visual poetry found on Youtube.com today