This is the 3711th most frequent Japanese word.
かたる
"かたる" means "to talk about" or "to narrate."
かたる (語る) is used to mean 'to talk' or 'to tell', often with a connotation of expressing thoughts or feelings in detail, such as explaining or recounting stories or dreams.
彼は自分の夢について語った。
He talked about his dreams.
In this case, かたる (語る) is used metaphorically to indicate that the painting conveys or expresses a story or message about a theme.
この絵は戦争の悲惨さを語っている。
This painting speaks of the horrors of war.
Here, かたる (語る) is utilized to describe the act of reciting poetry as a way of narrating feelings or messages.