The Images of "Howl"

By nature, "Howl" is a very graphic poem, filled with many images and sensations that are easily conjured by the mind. Although Eric Drooker didn't manage to capture every line as I envisioned, there were several illustrations in Howl: A Graphic Novel that I found to be particularly interesting and expressive. 

Drooker, Pg. 125

"with mother finally ******, and the last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window, and the last door closed at 4 A.M. and the last telephone slammed at the wall in reply and the last furnished room emptied down to the last piece of mental furniture, a yellow paper rose twisted on a wire hanger in the closet, and even that imaginary, nothing but a hopeful little bit of hallucination— "

This particular illustration shows the silhouette of a man on a rooftop as her stares down at a hazy and  undefined city. I thought that this illustration captured the collapsing sense of idealism in its related lines. The "last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window" seems to be a doubt over the power and self-assurance of "best minds" of the Beat generation. Mainstream rejection and internal struggles with drugs, poverty, and hardship seem to have eroded the confidence and freedom of these creators. There's a definite sense of anxiety and confusion in this section, and Ginsberg seems to be questioning reality itself, as he isn't sure if past memories were simply an idealistic "bit of hallucination." The speaker's inability to converse with anyone creates feelings of alienation, confinement, and missed opportunity. The tone of the poem seems to shift in this section, as Ginsberg gains the perspective on outsider, removed from his generation and looking in, similar to the man in Drooker's illustration. The image also captures a sense of rejection from society, and the eventual isolation from self, which are both themes throughout "Howl."

Drooker, Pg. 126

"ah, Carl, while you are not safe I am not safe, and now you’re really in the total animal soup of time—"

 This second image also reflects a sense of alienation, as the Beat philosophy of all things and people being connected seems to have broken down. There's no longer a certainty in the idea that all things, experience, and people are sacred, as marginalized figures in society have been shunned. This particular reference to Carl equates him with the "animal soup of time," suggesting that he was dehumanized and bogged down in the face of a flawed society's expectations. This lone figure in the dark definitely captures the somber and mournful tone of this passage, as well as the sense of loneliness.

Drooker, Pg. 128-9

I found the artwork on this page to be particularly interesting, mainly because it reminded me of Impressionist & Post-Impressionist paintings. After thinking about these artistic movements in comparison to Beat writing, I found myself drawing several parallels. At their core, both movements were focused on capturing a moment or experience and preserving the emotional impact. There was an evident desire in both parties to produce an artistic creation to ensure that no seemingly simple sight or event was fleeting or forgotten. Although the Impressionist artists already defied artistic convention, the Post-Impressionists took this exploration further, similar to the way the Beats created new literary standards and forms. Post-Impressionist painters used a more dynamic and expressive color palate, turned more toward abstraction rather than capturing lighting, and delved into the structure behind their subjects. Many people critiqued he "messy" brushstrokes of these painters and were critical of the thick and textured impasto technique but, as in the case of the Beats, there was a method and organization behind the seeming madness. 

Vincent van Gogh, Road with Cyprus and Star, c. 1890, oil on Canvas

In class, we spoke of the Post-Impressionist painter Cézanne's tendency to boldly mix colors into  combinations that seemed strange and unrelated, similar to Ginsberg's experimentation with language (such as the jarring phrase "atomic jukebox").  Although we discussed Cézanne in class, this particular illustration by Drooker reminded me more of van Gogh's aesthetic, which focused on combining bold colors and images into a cohesive whole, while the individual strokes and parts still remained distinct and present. 

Vincent van Gogh, Wheatfield with Crows, c. 1890, oil on Canvas