Whitman Illuminated: Song of Myself – Allen Crawford

Walt Whitman’s collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, is certainly a masterpiece which has gained prestige and a worldwide reputation as a divine American book. That was the reason why Allen Crawford, an artist and illustrator, chose part of Whitman’s collection for illuminating it, specifically “Song of Myself”.

Why “Song of Myself”?

When Crawford was interviewed about his work and asked why he chose “Song of Myself” his answer was: 

“I saw what Matt Kish had done with Melville and immediately thought that the next natural step in this kind of project would be to include the text itself in the imagery. I wanted to do a poem, because of the brevity of form and evocative language. Whitman’s Song of Myself was an ideal fit, not just because it was iconic. The poem was long, it was broad in its scope, and its naturalistic tone posed an interpretive challenge.” (Crawford, 2014)

 

“The 1855 edition of Song of Myself is rough and wild in form, with successive editions becoming ever more structured. I wanted to take the 1855 edition and go in the opposite direction, make it even wilder, so that it ran in a torrent in multiple directions, like a bustling crowd or mountain stream.” (Crawford, 2014)

 

Allen Crawford has transformed the original Whitman’s 1855 poem into a 256-page work of art. The text itself and the imagery are mixed in a way that “tune with the spirit of the poem—exuberant, rough, and wild.” (Crawford, 2014) The illustrator lyrical play of text size and orientation layers gives Whitman’s poem not only a type of perfect visual harmony but also creates an uncommon dimension that enriches the original poem.

 

To conclude, “Song of Myself” is the great American epic poem and has often been read as the poem that best captures the tensions and conflicting qualities that define what we might call the “American democratic self.” (University of Iowa, 2012) Furthermore, the unique characteristics of this poem have influenced several artists’ works.

Finally, Crawford’s words about his work:

“With this book, I’ve tried to make the vigor of “Song of Myself” tangible. I’ve attempted to liberate the words from their blocks of verse, and allow the lines to flow freely about the page, like a stream or a bustling city crowd. The text and imagery in this book are intended to be in keeping with Whitman’s unfurnished sensibility” (Crawford, 2014)

For you to think...

Do you think that this work will positively influence Whitman's collection?

What is your opinion regarding Crawford work of art? Does it present a new perspective on Whitman's work?

List of References:

Crawford, A. (2014). Whitman Illuminated. Retrieved August 12, 2014, from Allen Crawford: http://www.allencrawford.net/why-song-of-myself/

Crawford, A. (2014). Whitman Illuminated: Song of Myself. New York: Tin House Books.

Popova, M. (2014). Whitman Illuminated: “Song of Myself,” in Breathtaking Illustrations by Artist Allen Crawford. Retrieved from Brain Pickings: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/05/13/whitman-illuminated-song-of-myself-allen-crawford/

University of Iowa. (2012). Walt Whitman “Song of Myself”. Retrieved from The University of Iowa: http://iwp.uiowa.edu/whitmanweb/en/section-1#