Ekphrasis

The Luncheon of the Boating Party

As I lean upon the rail

My head resting on my head

I gaze upon the cheerful crowd

On the luncheon boat party

I see Madame Goudette

With her terrier Elle

Whom she dares never leave without

I see Monsieur Jean

With his wife Beatrice

Fawning over her secret lover Sebastian

And poor Madame Noel

Such a young and innocent soul

Is not accustomed to all this male attention

As I lean upon the rail

My head resting on my head

I try to drown out all the racket

On the luncheon boat party

           

            The visual piece that I chose for my ekphrasis is ‘The Luncheon of the Boating Party’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoire. The scenery of this painting really reeled me in. It appears that everyone in the painting are so carefree and having a great time together. However, I am drawn to the woman in the back corner leaning on the rail. Her demeanor is as if she’s just sitting back and watching everyone. My ekphrasis is a narration through her eyes and point of view.

She is pointing out a few of the main characters in the painting that jump out at the viewer. For each individual, she provides a little backstory of a piece of their lives. I added a bit of humor to it because her facial expression makes me think of someone who likes to gossip about others. Since the artist’s name is a French name, I tried to give the characters common French names. My ekphrasis makes you look at the picture in a way that maybe you never thought about before.