There is an art form in creating pictures with words called word painting. This type of poetry creates a picture with descriptive words that can bring a scene to life, as if painted with oils or water color. It is a difficult form of expression in that there is a difference between just being descriptive with your words and actually creating the atmosphere and the essence of the scene. When creating poetry with word painting, you are literally using the words as if they were the brush in order to create a canvas of words that stimulate the observer just as the color does in a painting.
While words use a different form in the brain, using the words to create the same feelings as created in a picture can be just as effective. The objective is to stimulate all the senses, and make the observer see not just the words, but the emotion, the sights, smells and textures as if it were a painted creation. Many poets, such as Tennyson, were fascinated by the idea of word painting and used the technique in their work, bringing a much more textured and rich sense to their poetry.
Word painting may seem difficult but the end result can be as expressive as a photo and as powerful as any use of color and paint. In Victorian times, word painting enjoyed quite a bit of success and proved to be a little different from the conventional word painting of the past in that it included with the landscaped themes, plot, and characters for a richer art form. They pursued a more theme like design in their poetry. Tennyson was a good example of a famous poet who included word painting in his poetry.
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