Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn By Tim Turnbull Flashcards
(10 cards)
Title
Intertextual link to ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ By John Keat
Turnbull created a pastiche of Keat’s work mirroring the stanza length and rhyme scheme
Ekphrasis writing
Keat’s work is pastoral whereas Turnbull’s work is Urban forcing the reader to challenge their expectations of beauty
Structure
The complexity of the work of art — and perhaps all works of art — is echoed by Turnbull’s complex ABABCDEDCE rhyme scheme. This pattern continues in all five stanzas.
Agenda
criticises to disorderly lives of contemporary youth who seem to lack morals and are driven by impulsive desires. Turnbull captures the essence of modern youth culture in a way which is satirical yet idealises the lifestyle.
This moment of preservation challenges traditional notions of what is deemed worthy of artistic representation. It forces the audience to reconsider whether contemporary urban life, with its chaos and fleeting pleasures, is any less significant than the refined, idealized past depicted in classical art. Emphasizes ephemerality of youth and power of art to give permanence to otherwise passing moments.
Themes
Transience
Society
Identity
Escapism
Context
Turnbull’s poem illustrates modern society through the lenses of the classical poem “Ode on Grecian Urn” by John Keat. John Keat’s classic romantic poem is used as a parody with a modern interpretation of the poem with Turnbull’s poem utilising the idea of freezing a generation in time. The poem replaces classical beauty with contemporary British youth culture with it presenting aspects of urban life of the the reckless youth who hold no regards for consequences and instead live a hedonistic lifestyle.The poem simultaneously critiques and immortalises the British youth and the culture they participate in.
Stanza 1:
“Hello! What’s all this here?”
“kitschy vase”
‘Shirley Temple manque’
“kids in cars on crap estates, the Burberry clad louts”
“Your gaudy evocation”
Poem starts off in exclamatory colloquial manner immediately pulling the readers in as it is engaging far from what we might conventionally think of as ‘poetic’ .This poem stirs away from traditionality and instead takes a modern approach
“kitschy” connotes popular but tasteless
The piece of art is demeaned by denoting it a vas rather than an Urn
It is presented as a utilitarian product rather than something worth admiration
Grayson Perry is a figure that the narrator sees as a failed Shirley Temple imitator. Grayson Perry lacks the innocent purity that everyone idealises.
“manque” means to miss in French
Shirley Temple was a 1930’s American actress. She had curly blonde hair, fair skin and was the idealised child
Grayson Perry is famously a cross-dresser, whose alternative persona is a little girl called Claire;
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‘Gaudy’ is referencing an unpleasantly bright vase which acts as a negative portrayal of disruptive young people
Stanza 2:
“throaty turbo roar”
“joyful throb”
“screech of tyres”
“nervous squeals”
“sense of peace, of calm - “
“too young to quite appreciate”
Focus on sound - Auditory imagery
Caesura contrasts with the noise of the zoomorphic “roar” and long assonance of “throaty turbo”
Reflects the youthful ignorance and naivety on how teenagers are depicted. Suggesting they are too immature or inexperienced to fully understand the consequences of their reckless behaviour.
The speakers mocking tone highlights the absurdity of preserving fleeting, chaotic moments as timeless art.
Theme of melancholy and sympathy as it carries a sense of ominous inevitability. The “children” represent the young people depicted on Perrys Urn-teenagers involved in reckless behaviour characterised by drinking and partying usually result in casual violence.
This critiques societal expectations and how it ultimately end in a moral decline, destined for tragic outcomes.
Stanza 3:
‘Forever, pumped on youth and ecstasy’
‘Never to be deflated ,given head, given head in crude games of chlamydia.’
The idea of eternal youth is portrayed through ‘forever’. The youth live lives where there are no responsibilities even though this is not a sustainable lifestyle. ‘Pumped on youth’ portrays the ‘youth’ as a fuel which allows these individuals to be energetic and confident.
‘Ecstasy’ could be a double entendre due the literal meaning being intense happiness and euphoria whilst it could also be a reference to the drug MDMA which id a party drug used for sensory overloads and mood enhancers.
The quote is a representation of the hedonism that contemporary youth adore especially when it comes to sexual relationships. ‘Never to be deflated’ could be used as phallic imagery to highlight the endless sexual desire of the youth.
Moreover, ‘given head’ and ‘chlamydia roulette’ reinforce the idea of hedonism with it crudely depicting the casual sexual relationships the youth will have even though there are tremendous risks such as ‘chlamydia’ which is a STI.
Stanza 4:
“Now see who come to line the sparse grass verge”
“Rat-boys and corn-rowed cheerleaders”
“To toast them in Buckfast and Diamond white”
“pensioners and parents”
“tranquility, though, is for the rich.”
Sets the scene presenting the modern youth gathering in urban spaces much like figures on classical urns.
Highlights the paradox of youth culture - full of energy, rebellion and transience whilst also being immortalized in art. Although young people depicted may be dismissed as reckless or directionless, their actions are part of a larger human experience preserved forever like the figures on an ancient urn.
A Vivid depiction of urban youth suggesting both admiration and criticism whilst also paralleling the classical friezes of ancient urns.
Cheap alcoholic drinks associated with working class youth emphasizing the theme of rebellion and escapism.
Generational clash
Plosives represents their inability to cope with the noise produced by the youth
Social mobility and class divide reference
Stanza 5:
“And so, millenia hence, you garish crock”
“will future poets look on you amazed”
“beneath a sun a little colder”
“beauty in the gift of the beholder”
The phrase “garish crock” is a sarcastic twist on the reverence given to ancient urns, implying that the modern equivalent may not be seen as valuable in the future. “ Garish” suggests something loud, cheap or tasteless, reinforcing the themes of class and cultural perception.
Rhetorical question about ephemerality vs permanence asking whether or not art will stand the test of time or be mocked and misunderstood
Irony as in today’s culture humanity is quiet materialistic
Suggest a loss of vibrancy or warmth in the future, possibly hinting a social decay, nostalgia or climate change. Reinforces the theme of times effect on perception and meaning.
Keat’s conclusion to his poem “beauty is truth, truth beauty” is paraded by Turnbull encapsulating the poem’s challenge to traditional artistic values
Beaty isn’t passively observed but actively created through the lens of the viewer
