The Poem Musee des Beaux Arts tells one man’s emotional connection to paintings he views while visiting a famous museum. In this essay I will be breaking down W. H. Auden’s poem line by line with analysis of his differing poetic elements to portray his theme of human suffrage. The poem starts out stating “About suffering they were never wrong,/The Old Masters;” the phrasing is repetitive and the subject is placed at the end of the second line (Auden, 1&2). This is unusual and a typically frowned
Suffering is embedded in our daily lives. There are devastating things going on in our daily environments and yet, people seldom realize this as they occupy themselves with other tasks. W.H. Auden’s, Musée des Beaux Arts, is a statement on human perceptions and how we use them to observe, or block out human suffering. While we are doing ordinary things like eating, or opening a window, bad things can be happening to others and it is as easy as looking up, to see what is actually going on. Auden illustrates
individual pieces come together like a puzzle to teach you the lesson it intended to teach. The different pieces in the poem we read can give you a general idea of suffering, the idea that people undergo pain and distress. In the poem 'Musee des Beaux Arts' by W.H. Auden it is under that suffering occurs everywhere while not always seen, however, when seen everyone is apathetic. Within the poem, Auden makes a reference to the Greek myth of Icarus. Icarus falls to his watery grave after flying to
. . . [H]ow everything turns away Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure (Lines 14-17). As exemplified by these lines from the poem “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W. H. Auden, one of the shortcomings of the human condition is the difficulty in noticing the suffering of others when it does not concern oneself. Occasionally, a particular issue may become a cause célèbre, encouraging people to look outside
W.H. Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts and Pieter Bruegel's The Fall of Icarus W.H. Auden and Pieter Bruegel were both keen observers of the ordinary. In Bruegel’s painting “The Fall of Icarus”, he is able to look past the tragedy of the death of Icarus and focus on the simple scene surrounding the event. Auden’s poem, “Musee des Beaux Arts”, has the same qualities: it glazes over the nature of tragedy, and chooses to instead examine the fact that life goes on while disaster occurs. Arthur F. Kinney
Modern Life "Musee des Beaux Arts" is a poem written by W.H. Auden in December of 1938, while he was staying in Brussels Belgium. The poem ‘Musee des Beaux Arts’ means ‘Museum of Fine Arts’ in French, he composed this after he visited the museum in Paris. This poem may be hard to understand when you first read it, and has the feel of being much older than 77 years of age. Although, this poem is very complex it is still relative and can be applied to our current modern day life. Many issues and
indirect references to another work or to real or historical events or persons, traditionally as a way of connecting those elements as well as enriching the meaning of the current work through associations with the other. In his poem "Musee des Beaux Arts", W.H. Auden uses allusions as a way of drawing connections between his poem, Peter Brueghel's painting " The Fall of Icarus", the myth, and the humanity indifference toward one's suffering. Icarus, the subject of this poem, was a figure from
Name Prof Subject Date An Analysis of W.H. Auden’s “Musee des Beaux Arts” Walking on one’s daily route to work one day you hear the sounds of a struggle nearby, craning one’s head over a fence you see a man getting mugged for his belongings. Would one call the police or go about one’s day? At work that day one notices that a coworker has been sobbing in the bathroom all day on and off. Does one try to talk to him, try and see what's bothering him, or does one decide that it's none of your business
artistique. Degas est alors entre dans le studio de Louis Lamothe, un artiste qui a etudie avec Ingres. Degas etait seulement dans l’atelier Lamothe pendant une annee mais ceci a commence son respect profond pour Ingres. Il a alors etudie d’Ecole des Beaux Arts a Paris. Degas plus tard etudie dans l’auvent et avez puis commence l’etude des peintres modernes aussi bien que les vieux maitres. Il est alors parti pour que l’Italie continue son education independamment. L’Italie a ce moment-la etait le but
Both the 1983 poem, “Musée des Beaux Arts” by Wystan Hugh Auden and the 1555 portrait, “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by Pieter Bruegel, inflict the reminiscence of a parable conflicting human aspiration. Auden and Bruegel weave an interpretation of Greek mythology on Daedelus and reinforce its moral into human society and the effects of exposing dilemmas to humanity brimming with apathy. Through his artwork, Bruegel encompasses the ending of a myth and challenges the viewers to make personal
In two of Auden’s major works he uses the idea of absent-mindedness to express how humans can be self-centered, and tend to have a blind eye towards other peoples’ issues rather than their own. In “Musée des Beaux Arts”, Auden uses a painting by Pieter Brueghel called, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus as a setting for his poem, and uses the characters in the painting as proof that people can be very self-absorbed and unaware. Auden also portrays this same idea in his poem “Funeral Blues”, in which
began his artistic studies with Louis Lamothes, a pupil of Ingres. After studying there he moved on and started classes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In 1854, he left and went to Italy. For 5 years he stayed there and studied Italian art, mainly works. Edgar Degas was known as an Impressionist. The Impressionist were artist who exhibited their works of art in independent shows from 1874 to 1886. It was the common desire to make an open forum for artist to show their work that united the group.
overnight success. Even though he was rejected numerous times from art schools because of his art style, he prevailed in the end. Rodin, like many artists, got their inspiration from other great and famous artists. In Rodin's case, his inspiration came from Michelangelo. In Rodin's more famous works, one can see the similarities between the two artists' artwork. Rodin's parents were not wealthy, therefore, he was not able to attend an art school of his choice. His father, however, did send him to Petite
Richardson graduated Harvard, class of 1859. After Henry Hobson Richardson graduated Harvard University, he decided to remain in the North to study rather than return to New Orleans. He had the opportunity to study in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, travel to London, travel through rural England, and through Southern France and Spain, making some trips with his friend Henry Adams. Richardson collected postcards throughout his trips that would eventually amount to over 3000 images. Later,
Myths are explored and alluded to in all kinds of art forms. The tales of greek gods and heroes being echoed down through literature and art throughout the ages. These myths are even portrayed in poetry, as seen in Natasha Trethewey’s “Myth” and W. H. Auden’s “Musèe des Beaux Arts.” “Myth” makes a quick allusion to Erebus, part of the underworld in Greek mythology, while Auden’s poem references the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun. The use of myths in both poems help to strengthen
He decided to give up his career in law for a career in art. Matisse himself said, “It was as if I had been called. Henceforth I did not lead my life. It led me” (Getlein 80). Soon after, Henri began to take classes at the Academie Julian to prepare himself for the entrance examination at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Essers 7). Henri failed his first attempt, leading to his departure from the Academie. He then enrolled at the Ecole des Arts decoratifs and that is where his friendship with Albert Marquet
leader in the Arts. Like the Eiffel Tower in 1889, it served as a focus for the Exposition. However, the two structures were very different. The Grand Palais placed much greater emphasis on ornamentation. The famous French writer Paul Morand stated that, "while in 1889 architecture was happily on the threshold of an age of iron and steel, in 1900 it had gone back to styles such as those taught at the Beaux-Arts." The Grand Palais incorporated what is commonly referred to as "Beaux-Arts style", which
Braque was a French painter born on May 13, 1882, in Argenteuil-sur-Seine, near Paris. He grew up there and in the city of Le Havre where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He began developing his painting skills while working for his father as a house decorator. By 1900 he moved to Paris to purse the study of painting as fine art. In his early works Braques’ style was early impressionism. It wasn’t until a few years later when he was influenced in the works of well known artists such as Matisse
there are few artists who have known such personal glory during their carriers. Rodin's sculpture was so powerful and original that those in control of the art world did not understand him in his day. He was refused admittance into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts three times and was the brunt of many articles criticizing his works. His talent and art was so powerful that despite all of the official disdain he received he was able to overcome these obstacles placed in his path and emerged on the international
seductive young witch, and the innocent virgin" (Thompson 17). She supports her theory with the incident in which Amanda says that she had seventeen gentlemen callers in one day. Thompson goes on to say that the "exaggeration of the number of Amanda's beaux recalls fairy tale and legends of romance in which the princess is beleaguered by suitors until the ideal knight or prince returns" (17). Here, Thompson shows that Amanda's weakness is living in a sort of dream world which overwhelms her intentions