an ekphrastic poem addressed to an unknown, enslaved potter. Also some thoughts on the life and work of Dave the enslaved potter/poet who signed his work and decorated it with short poems .
Melanie, what a fantastic compendium of information and reflection. Wow. (I saw the word 'ekphrastic' and expected a painting--but a poem inspired by pottery is, well, a perfect circle of what a poem is--"something that is made."
Thank you for bringing Dave and other unknown potters to light.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Jody. Also now I kind of want to collect a compendium of ekphrastic poems inspired by art other than paintings.
Thank you for telling this important story, Melanie. Your curiosity is contagious! You pulled me in with your lilting prose and far-reaching literary analysis that encompasses Keats and the Bible to give us a fuller picture of what we are looking at. I truly enjoyed this piece!
I really like the "Artist Once Known" label, though I also think about all of those unknown hands that built the cathedrals, painted the paintings, and wrote the music of the Middle Ages. We don't know their names, but God does. And there are no good works done in vain. Inversely, the poetry of Dave the Potter unveils the lies told about slaves for years. He felt and loved as deeply as any other man. By mandating illiteracy for enslaved people, society did silence them and then dictated their own narrative. We need to treasure the stories that we do have.
Oh yes. So many unknown artisans over so much time and how few of them are known and how much we will never know. And yet their handiwork stands as a testament: I was here. One of my favorite fantasy novels is Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay which takes as its starting point the idea of a mosaicist in Byzantium, like those who made the now-lost mosaics that once adorned Hagia Sophia. Kay translates the story into an alternate history where magic is real, but the core story is about the artisan and the art that he makes.
Excellent post! My grandparents had a piece of old pottery that I loved. It was large and heavy in a gray/green hue with a narrow spout and small handles. I believe there was a mark of some kind, but not a name. My understanding is the provenance was similar, and I appreciate the opportunity to ponder its maker and to remember my grandparent's home.
Melanie, on reflection, I realized that I got caught up on my own memories and failed to affirm your beautiful poem. Please forgive me. May God bless you for so wonderfully acknowledging the humanity and artistry of the potter.
Thank you for the compliments and no worries at all. I am glad my poem resonated with you. I am the one who yoked the poem to a larger contemplation of pottery and it's fine that was the part that spoke to you most immediately. No need to apologize. For me it's also a great compliment that my post had a personal connection for you and brought you to ponder your grandparents' piece. Art speaks to art and one thing leads to another, those rich connections are really where the joy happens. It's an honor to have been a small part of your recollection of your grandparents' home.
Thank you for sharing, Melanie. I did not know the connections between the word poetry and poesis. Interesting indeed.
I too like this one from Dave the Potter:
"The sun, moon and – stars in the west are plenty of – bears."
Interesting to read his thoughts so many years after they were written.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Neil.
Beautiful. Thank you for this.
I was thinking of you as I wrote it, Julia. The only thing this essay is missing is some music...
Melanie, what a fantastic compendium of information and reflection. Wow. (I saw the word 'ekphrastic' and expected a painting--but a poem inspired by pottery is, well, a perfect circle of what a poem is--"something that is made."
Thank you for bringing Dave and other unknown potters to light.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Jody. Also now I kind of want to collect a compendium of ekphrastic poems inspired by art other than paintings.
Thank you for telling this important story, Melanie. Your curiosity is contagious! You pulled me in with your lilting prose and far-reaching literary analysis that encompasses Keats and the Bible to give us a fuller picture of what we are looking at. I truly enjoyed this piece!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Abigail. Enthusiastic readers make me want to keep writing.
I really like the "Artist Once Known" label, though I also think about all of those unknown hands that built the cathedrals, painted the paintings, and wrote the music of the Middle Ages. We don't know their names, but God does. And there are no good works done in vain. Inversely, the poetry of Dave the Potter unveils the lies told about slaves for years. He felt and loved as deeply as any other man. By mandating illiteracy for enslaved people, society did silence them and then dictated their own narrative. We need to treasure the stories that we do have.
Oh yes. So many unknown artisans over so much time and how few of them are known and how much we will never know. And yet their handiwork stands as a testament: I was here. One of my favorite fantasy novels is Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay which takes as its starting point the idea of a mosaicist in Byzantium, like those who made the now-lost mosaics that once adorned Hagia Sophia. Kay translates the story into an alternate history where magic is real, but the core story is about the artisan and the art that he makes.
That is even more poignant in that the work is now lost to us, but yet it is not lost.
Excellent post! My grandparents had a piece of old pottery that I loved. It was large and heavy in a gray/green hue with a narrow spout and small handles. I believe there was a mark of some kind, but not a name. My understanding is the provenance was similar, and I appreciate the opportunity to ponder its maker and to remember my grandparent's home.
Melanie, on reflection, I realized that I got caught up on my own memories and failed to affirm your beautiful poem. Please forgive me. May God bless you for so wonderfully acknowledging the humanity and artistry of the potter.
Thank you for the compliments and no worries at all. I am glad my poem resonated with you. I am the one who yoked the poem to a larger contemplation of pottery and it's fine that was the part that spoke to you most immediately. No need to apologize. For me it's also a great compliment that my post had a personal connection for you and brought you to ponder your grandparents' piece. Art speaks to art and one thing leads to another, those rich connections are really where the joy happens. It's an honor to have been a small part of your recollection of your grandparents' home.
Ooh love this. I only learned the word ekphrasis this week in a poetry workshop and today I see your poem..... Love it when words do that
What a lovely ekphrastic poem and history lesson!!! Thank you so much for sharing Melanie!!