guards themselves is truer to themselves than the monks because

they appreciate and are not ashamed to admit that they are
overwhelmed by the miraculous world of beauty created by God,
each aspect proclaiming his power and love. This is obviously
Browning's own view worship of God should begin with an
acknowledgement of the visible world of beauty. He has created
with so much of variety and multiplicity. Are we not too grateful to
the creator for all the gifts? He has given us by showing him how we
accept them. The painter monk asks:
"What 's it all about?
To be passed over, despised? or dwelt upon,
Wondered at?
He suggests the ideal course of action.
God's works pamr anyon
To let a truth slip "
He is capable of painting any face, making a sketch with a bit of
chalk such a sketch will reveal the inner truth of the subject. He can
certainly paint the Prior's Pulpit face. While he interprets God to the
congregation what Lippi means is that the irony in the Prior's
character, the contradiction between the sanctity of ideals professed
by him and the hypocritical life he leads, in reality, can be expressed
very easily through his painting.
This world no blot...
Browning expresses his own views on life through the words of Fra
Lippo Lippi. This is a very positive assertion of the values of life.
Life is not a matter to be ashamed of. It is not blank, stating that it
is not without meaning or significance. It has immense meaning,
and he is certain that the meaning is "good", positive, representing
God's love for human beings. It is God's precious gift. Lippi asserts
that his mission is a previous gift. Lippi asserts that his mission in
life is to discover its meaning. It is his and drink that is, the
sustaining forces in life. The very purpose of his existence, and that
which inspires him, gives him the sustaining energy that drives him
forward.
The prior has a constant criticism about Lippi's paintings. They are
lifelike, he admits their beauty is beyond question But,
Any but you don't so instigate to prayer!
The paintings are admissible in their realistic representation of life,
but they do not convey any message urging the people to pray every
morning and evening or to fast on certain holy days.
Lippi's doubt against the background of the Prior's criticism is
expressed in the straight question:
Why, for this
What need of art at all? A skull and bones,
livo bits of stick nailed crosswise, or, what 's best,
A bell to chime the hour, whichdoes as well...
Flesh and blood are not wanted to remind people of the hours of
prayer. Art is not needed for such a purpose. It is meant to glorify
life, and express man's admiration and gratitude to God through
acceptance of His gift. Colour, beauty, flesh and blood are thus
essential for art. Things physical are not meant to summon people
to the church for prayers. The chime of the church bell would serve
the purpose. A sketch of a skull and bones, with sticks nailed
crosswise, should serve better to express spiritual messages: Art
cannot be confined to that pattern. Lippi is being serious when he
defends his art against the charges levelled by the Prior.
I painted a saint Laurence..
 Fra Lippo Lippi had painted several fine frescoes which are
displayed in Proto, a near Florence. But the picture mentioned here
is not found. It is said that he asked his tortures to turn him over to
the other side so that, that side also would be roasted well. being
done on one side.
The monks are apparently satisfied with this work, even though
Lippi has shown his originality in painting the tortures. They are
pleased and promise him another job of the same kind next year
because he has succeeded in encouraging piety and religion among
the people. Finally, Lippi's painting has served its purpose.
Lippi's comment, in response to such appreciation of the spiritual
quality of his painting, is Hang the Fools. He feels suddenly that he
has used rather too strong a wood to refer to the monks. He
attributes it to the intoxication caused by the fresh air in the spicy
night. The atmosphere pulsating with life against the music and
dance celebrating the advent of the spring season is as intoxicating
as the Chianti wine, according to the painter monk. Chianti, a
region south of Florence, is famous for the wine of high quality
produced there. The comparison of the heady nature of the air to
the effect of the Chianti wine is rather an unprime style.
Again, he realizes that his expression was unbecoming of a
monk. He could not think of a world more appropriate than that to
express the unusual mood of exhilaration he experienced. When he
tasted the zest for life all around and was tempted to forget the
monk's robes he was wearing. Anyway, he has decided to make
amends. He challenges the guards to go to visit the convent of St.
Ambrogio six months later and observe, obviously the picture he is
planning to paint for the nuns who had asked him for a sample of
his work.
A cast of my office. A sample of my work
 At St. Ambrogio's convent, Fra Lippo has painted an altarpiece
called "The coronation of the Virgin. The painting is now on display
at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Lippi describes the
picture; It will have God in the middle Madonna with her infant,
Jesus:
Ringed by a bowery flowry angleo brood,
Lilies and vastments and whitefaces, sweet
As puffonpuffofgrated orris root
When ladies crowd to church at midsummer.
A tone of amusement and contempt together can be made out in the
description of the "bowery flowery brood". He is referring to the
meaninglessness of painting figures without individuality, the
angels being all colour and sweetness, representing neither man nor
woman. And of course, a saint or two have to be included. Lippi is
obliged to paint what he does not really appreciate himself.
John the Baptist will be one among the saints painted along with
the angels in the picture. St. John has a special place in the minds of
the Florentine people because their children get baptized in the
church of St. John. He is John the Baptist.
The other figure likely to occupy a place in the painting is Saint
Ambrose. Archbishop of Milan (34-57). He used to record the
details of "the convent's friends". JOb.. z uz was job's birthplace.
Lippi is once again indulging in irrelevant humour by playing on the
words uz an us. He means that painters like him need patience
which they do not have at present. He is referring to his own lack of
patience with those who do not appreciate his type of painting
which are true to life and demand spiritual paintings depicting souls
and saints.
 Lippi suddenly becomes conscious of the company around him, and
wonder how and where he can escape. He remembers "the sweet
angelic slip of a thing" who put out a soft palm. He wonders
whether anyone, for instance, saint John could draw such a
beautiful figure using his camel hair as a painting brush. The
reference is irrelevant as it is the usual case with Lippi. The joke
refers to the sentence in the Bible. And John was clothed with
camel's hair. He means that such real ascetics can never appreciate
or understand the significance of life and beauty. We come to
brother Lippi for all that.
It is only Brother Lippo who can be depended upon for painting
beauty as we find it pulsating in life. Those who claim to paint souls
and saints cannot glorify. God through the recognition of beauty. He
has created.
Is to perfecit opus
This man made the work
Lippi's picture. The coronation of the Virgin presents a kneeling
figure at the bottom right-hand corner. "This is to be Lippi's self-
portrait. Another version, according to Paul Turner, is that the
portrait is that of canon Francesco Maringhai, the benefactor of the
Church, who ordered the painting as an altarpiece in 1441.
Lippi describes the details of his escaped that night before he was
apprehended by the guards. He was feeling happy and was
indulging himself with gary abandon.
Under the cover of a hundred wings
Thrown like a spread of kirtles when you're gay.
At an unexpected moment, the hothead husband suddenly pops in.
He tried to hide, but still did not let prior's niece to whom he has
already referred several times. Saint Lucy the prior's niece' served as
a model for a picture of Saint Lucy. It is interesting to note the irony
behind the gradual metamorphosis of a delicate creature of flesh
and blood to a saintly figure to become the model [Or saint Lucy.
Lippi appears to be making an attempt to show that in spite of his
interest in life bustling outside he can provide his painted figures
with a divine halo.
Lippi feels that now that he has explained his position to the guards
and he has escaped any awkward situation, the balance sheet is that
the church stands to gain a pretty picture: He repeats the Challenge
to the guards to meet him six months labour to see his masterpiece.
He takes leave of their guards, shaking hands with their leader. He
screams no lights, no lights, obviously because he wants to enter his
room in the monastery unobserved. He does not even want to be
guided because he is familiar with the way.
The poem ends on a symbolic note of hope. Lippi points out the
grey beginning. The dawn could signify hope for a new beginning.
In this context, it could reflect the painter Fra Lippo Lippi's
optimism which is in fact Browning's own that painting will take a
new direction, focusing attention on real life and not on abstract
principles in the name of spiritual values.