IN PURSUIT OF THE EKPHRASTIC TRANSITION: THE ICON IN JERZY HARASYMOWICZ'S 'LOVE POEMS' (W poszukiwaniu ekfrastycznego przejscia. Ikona w 'Wierszach milosnych' Jerzego Harasymowicza)

This article deals with the influence of icon painting on the poetry writing of Jerzy Harasymowicz (1933-1999). Based on W. J. T. Mitchell's 'ekphrastic fascination', Peter Wagner's 'intermediality', and Valerii Lepakhin's more complex concept of 'the verbal icon', this study attempts to present Harasymowicz's attitude towards the icon and to show how an immersion in the art of Byzantine Christianity opens the way towards ekphrasis. The article demonstrates that Harasymowicz's quest for a 'complete ekphrasis' consisted of the following phases: transfer of the iconographic mindset into the poem, construction of a verbal match of the Orthodox Prototype, representation of the iconic hierarchy of colour by words, and the use of concrete iconographic representations to achieve complete ekphrasis. In conclusion it is stated that Harasymowicz's use of the icon shows his profound understanding of its theological meaning and, at the same time, is a remarkable example of the transcultural absorption of the Orthodox Other.