Brugel´s Paintings as Analized by Perez Zagorin´ in Szymborska’s two monkeys: The Stammering Poet and The Chain of Signs.

669 Words2 Pages

Perez Zagorin provides those backgrounds in his article, Szymborska’s two monkeys: The Stammering Poet and The Chain of Signs. He said that even though Bruegel is well known as one of the greatest artist in Netherlands and Northern Renaissance sixteenth centuries, he has no apparent records of his birth and educational backgrounds (Zagorin 73). While a number of scholars suggest religious and biblical themes for his paintings, there have been numerous contradictions and disagreements on his paintings. In addition, every theories and hypothesis upon his intellectual development and philosophical outlook are unconvincing because they include lots of guesses and questionable assumptions. Perez suggests the most persuasive supposition that Bruegel used his paintings to unveil religious and political opposition against the absurd treatment at the time. In 1517, Martin Luther published out his ninety-five theses, a list of statements that criticizes certain church’s practices, and it triggered the rise of Protestantism. The Catholic Church impinged more and more in respond to the defiance. Perez argued that by viewing the piece in this historical way, some of his paintings could be regarded as “a veiled attack” on Catholicism and the Spanish regime (Zagorin 81). For example, one of the Bruegel’s paintings, the Massacre of the Innocents, depicts biblical scene of the slaughter of the infant male children of Bethlehem by King Herod’s order, and it seems to express antipathy upon cruel and punitive treatment of Netherlandish community. For another example, the beekeepers has been largely discussed as the allusion of criticism against Catholic Church’s irrational practice because the beekeepers, who are unaware of the robber climbing on the...

... middle of paper ...

...e their own imprisonment by the rattling sounds of chains in the last stanza of the poem and to resolve the question of history exam at the same time? The answer of the questionwhat question is involved in chains that symbolize repression, imprisonment, cruelty and distant from nature. The theme of the poem also reflects the background when and where the poem was written: the 16th centuries Poland repressed by communism. Magnus tries to convey his pessimistic opinion using the Bruegel’s philosophy contained in the painting, Two Monkeys. Conclusively, Bruegel’s two monkeys and the Magnus’ relevant poem illustrate social repression by religious and political power.
Bruegel’s painting, Two Monkeys, remains as questionable and mysterious. However, one thing that is certain is that his painting represents his pessimistic opposition against negative sides of human nature.

More about Brugel´s Paintings as Analized by Perez Zagorin´ in Szymborska’s two monkeys: The Stammering Poet and The Chain of Signs.

Open Document