Art Creation – Music/Dance/Poetry
Part 1: Art Creation
Select a poem, musical piece, or dance piece to use as a point of inspiration. Create a work of poetry, lyrics, music, or dance, inspired by your selected art piece. Video or audio recordings should be no longer than 5 minutes and must be in MP4 format.
Note: If your art creation requires a separate file submission, please submit in the Art Creation Submission (Recordings) area following this assignment.
Part 2: Reflection
Write a reflection about the relationship between your art production and the inspiration piece. Include the following in the reflection paper:
Introduction
Inspiration Piece
Include the inspiration poem, lyrics, or recording of musical or dance piece within the document. Use a link in the case of a recording.
Record the title, artist/author/composer, year, and place of origin.
Briefly explain the background of the inspiration piece.
Your Art Piece
Include your original poem or lyrics within the document. If you selected a musical or dance piece, submit as a separate file in the Art Creation Submission (Recordings) area following this assignment.
Provide a title.
Explain the background of your piece.
Connection
Explain the thematic connection between the two pieces.
How are they similar and different?
Are they the same medium? How does the medium impact what the viewer experiences?
Sample Answer
Art Creation and Reflection (Poem)
Love has often been a powerful tool that has built bridges while destroying some. It the most powerful connection, and thus artists use the theme to give meaning to their varied mediums. For instance, “How Do I Love Thee” is a poem by Elizabeth Browning. It is a 43rd sonnet extracted from the “Sonnets from the Portuguese”, a collection of 44 love poems composes by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The piece’s origin is Portuguese. My creation was a poem titled “A man’s wish”. It dwells on the same thematic expression of love, as illustrated by Browning. “How Do I Love Thee” is a classical poem which portrays the intricate connection between two people who are madly in love. The title is followed by a well-detailed illustration of the depths she is willing to go just to show her love for the other persona. My art piece was a poem titled ‘A man’s wish’. It was inspired by Elizabeth Browning and portrayed the theme of love. The poem is about a man who has lost his wife and wishes to bring her back. He misses her dearly and regrets the conditions that led to her departure. However, he is willing to do all it takes to rekindle their love, and get back together.
The two pieces are connected since they are both poems, and revolve around the same theme, love. Love is kind, but sometimes it can be hurtful. Elizabeth Browning illustrates just how much her love means, in this world and the afterlife. In my art piece, the persona explains his deep feelings and how he will cherish them until his last day. This is a genuine commitment that only true lovers can experience. The two poems use personification when portraying the extent of love to the other persona. For instance, Elizabeth uses personification to express what she truly longs for. She says, “My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight”, meaning he comforts her when she feels weary (Browning, 1850). My art piece uses personification to illustrate the depths of true love, “My fears and sorrows are dead to me” meaning his sorrows were gone after he met her. He adds, “And the heavens will know you are mine” meaning the whole world will be aware of their passionate love for one another.
Despite the two pieces being connected by the theme of love, they are different in terms of style and language. While Browning’s piece depicts the persona’s affection for her current love, the persona in my poem is longing for the return of his lost love, while narrating what she meant to him. He uses a strong imagery to conclude how he is ready to form a new unbreakable relationship with his wife once she gets back. Additionally, the language used in ‘How to love thee’ is classical and formal. The poem uses words such as ‘thee’ to mean ‘your’. My piece employs a mixture of both formal and informal language. It uses informal contractions such as ‘I wanna be with you’, to mean ‘I want to be with you’. By reading the poems, one can be positively impacted by the thematic connection of the two personas. One is madly in love while the other is longing for his lost love. It is possible to feel the connection between the two characters and their passionate longing for pure and eternal love. The two pieces acknowledge the intricate meaning of love and why it needs to be nurtured for a happy and fulfilling life.
How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
A Man’s Wish
I love you with my every breadth
In both times, bad and good, I wanna be with you.
All days of my life, dark and bright
I will forever hold your hand and not let go.
My fears and sorrows are dead to me now that
I cherish all your strengths and pitfalls.
I lived on air, with love thicker than forget.
Alive together, is all I ever wanted
But now leaden hours are dragging me to the abyss.
With power I shall regain what’s mine
And love you till my last day.
Together, we’ll form an unbreakable bond
And the heavens will know you are mine, as I am yours.
Reference
- Browning, E. B. (1850). Sonnets from the Portuguese and other love poems. New York: Doubleday.
