Tabia Malik

Uw-21-eng-bs-024

"Fra Lippo Lippi" is all about the conflict between art and religion. And Browning uses our
good friend Bro Lippo as his mouthpiece. Lucky for us, Lippo is a pretty outspoken mouthpiece
whose gift for gab has been lubricated somewhat by the wine that he's been partaking. At its
centre, the poem seems to suggest (again through Lippo) that the Church uses art as a
propaganda tool that teaches orthodox doctrine.

Lippo has some different ideas about art though. He thinks that the artwork that's acceptable to
the Church is, well, boring. But even more problematic is that the Church-sanctioned artwork
does nothing for inspiring the individual to grow spiritually or intellectually. So, there's also
some push-and-pull between the individual and the communal values of the Church.

In ÒFra Lippo Lippi,Ó Robert Browning analyzes the nature of art. He presents the question of
whether art should be realistic and mirror nature or idealistic and instruct. Lippi believes that art
should be a representation of the natural world and, thus, be realistic. When the church leaders
give him the chance to paint, he is thrilled:

ÒThank you! my head being crammed, the walls a blank, / Never was such prompt
disemburdeningÓ (ll. 143- 144).

He begins to paint church patrons in a realistic manner. The simple monks are amazed at LippiÕs
ability to portray real people through his work.

In "Fra Lippo Lippi," the conflict between artistic expression and societal expectations is a
central theme. The poem explores how Fra Lippo Lippi, as an artist, struggles to reconcile his
creative impulses with the demands and restrictions placed upon him by society. He feels
constrained by the expectations of the Church and the limitations imposed on his art. Fra Lippo
Lippi yearns for the freedom to express himself fully and authentically, even if it means going
against societal norms. This conflict between personal artistic vision and societal expectations
creates tension and drives the narrative of the poem. It's a thought-provoking exploration of the
challenges artists face in balancing their individuality with the expectations of the world around
them

An interesting point is that Browning, in creating the poem, has created a piece of realistic art
that is at the same time didactic. The poem lays out LippiÕs explicit argument that realistic art
brings the viewer closer to GodÕs creation and, thus, closer to God, but BrowningÕs implicit
argument goes further. The poem is a piece of art that is realistic, for the reader can imagine an
actual painter who was upset with church ofÞcials under these circumstances. Yet, Browning also
is presenting an argument beyond LippiÕs and in doing so is showing, or teaching if you wish,
the reader that art should be realistic. In a remarkable rhetorical move, BrowningÕs own realistic
art is didactic as well. EDITORÕS NOTE: This is a literary analysis paper that was written for