Spencer as a painter in Words with reference to “The Faerie Queene”. (Book 1 ,Canto 1)

Spencer is one of the renowned pictorial artists in English poetry and his pictures are life like and colorful. Although he was not a painter, he could paint with words colorful and decorative pictures quite in the style of European painters. “The Faerie Queene” is a picture gallery of luxurious richness and colorful decorations. When we read it, we pass through an enchanted landscape in which there is  a dream like succession of pageants and dissolving views of forests, lakes,caves and palaces. Spencer draws imaginaries from various events, such as (a) Elizabethan court pageants, masques, festive dances (b) Elizabethan furniture, tapestries etc. (C) Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso”, Ovid's “Metamorphoses” and Virgil’s “Eclogues” and (d) The Bible.

Spencer does not avoid the world of human beings. He has drawn concrete and realistic pictures of knights, ladies, Queens, heros and warriors. For example, we get a wonderful picture of a Medieval knights in the figure of Red Cross Knight as described by the poet . “A gentle was pricing on the plane”. The Red Cross Knight raiding on horse was a noble birth. On his breast , he bore a bloody Cross as token of his allegiance to Jesus Christ who had died on the cross. The signed of the cross was also inscribed on his shield. He was a follower of Christ both in Words and deed. The medieval institution Knight errantry had a peculiar fascination for Spenser and we get impression and detailed word-paintings of scenes of fighting, knightly encounters and bloodshed.

Spencer shows himself at his best when freed from the need of describing a scene or object in actual exercise. He gives free rein to his imagination when dealing with the objects of his own creation. On such occasions, he seems to experience a peculiar joy as he baths his fanciful creations in the light and color and shade of his own choice.

Spenser’s word pictures are usually elaborated and developed at full length with every minute detail, worked to its widest span. He is an artist who knows where he has to restrain his verse and content himself by touching upon a significant detail or two leaving the manifold details of the picture to the imagination of his reader.

Spencer has painted the beauty of nature. He has given vivid picture of beasts and giants, but when he comes to delineate ugliness or evoking disgust or dread by representing horror in its most impressive aspect , he seems to put fourth all the power of his poetic language. The portrait of Archimago is presented in such a way that apparently he seems simple but full of treacherous guile, knitting, the snare of his villainous mischief, while processing Holiness and Piety.

Spencer is skilled in presenting the abstract into concrete forms. In Poetic description, sound imagery is the natural accompaniment of word painting. “The Faerie Queene” peopled with noise and sound. So, Spenser introduces vocal and instrumental music in his imagery and this was the demand of the age. In image making power, his superiority to his contemporary poets is  one of degree, resulting from a finer Sensibility and a wider range of appeal which have strengthened his position as the poet's poet.