Ekphrasis is from Greek meaning the description of a work of art as a rhetorical device. That's actually pretty straight forward, but another way to look at it, is it's highfalutin fan fiction, usually about paintings or pieces of music, but it can be about virtually anything. Look at or listen to the following piece of art and write a piece of prose or poetry that is inspired by some aspect of it.
Today's artwork is...
Abtei im Eichwald (The Abbey in the Oakwood) by painter Caspar David Friedrich.
This painting is of the ruins of Eldena Abbey, one of Caspar David Friedrich's favorite subjects, or at least one he painted multiple times. Here is the wikipedia page about the Abbey which had a pretty fascinating history. I definitely don't think it would go against the spirit of ekphrasis to use history or research in your response piece. Although, this also looks dystopian, like a scene from the original Vampire Hunter D anime or something, so fantasy or science fiction might be appropriate here even if it's not your normal genre. It's always nice to stretch your little-used literary muscles as well as your favorite ones.
