Traditionally, words have been the primary method of communication, and Paratext has consisted of visuals and other supporting elements used to put text in context. However, as contemporary poets like Kenneth Goldsmith, M. Nourbe Philips, and Tom Phillips continue to explore new forms of expression, contemporary literature has been gradually bridging the gap between writing and art, to the extent that Paratext itself is being redefined.
Perhaps one of the most interesting examples of this is Word Art, a form of expression that uses text to create recognizable visuals, such as people, scenes, and everyday objects. Forty-year old artist and graphic designer, Juan Osborne is a leading figure in this field. Among his many works (Seen Here: http://www.juanosborne.com/), one that stood out to me as a piece that truly exemplifies this movement is his recreation of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Man” from the Sistine Chapel.
This image naturally creates anticipation and suspense through the proximity of the two hands. Being a well-known art piece, Osborne could count on his audience to recognize, at least in a general sense, the divinity and religious significance of this moment from the Bible. The unique aspect of this work, however, is its use of highlighted words to convey additional meaning. The words come to the reader as short bursts of light in the dark, and each adds to the collective mood being established. Osborne uses a number of subtle techniques to do this. “Lord” and “god”, for example, are presented in larger text and positioned closer to the center of the image. These both work to immediately gain the attention of the reader, thus allowing them to effectively set the mood as intended by Osborne. Gradually, the eye of the reader will fall over each of the words that trail off toward the extremes of the page. This poetic combination of art and writing smoothly transitions the definition of Paratext from the combination of everything around a body of text, to the body of text itself.
contemporarytrash.wordpress.com 