Looking Through the Eyes of the Faultless Painter Essay -- Adrea del Sa

Andrea del Sarto's title in Browning's eyes should be considered â€Å"the faultless painter†. For del Sarto, capturing something beautiful is worth almost anything. But del Sarto finds himself trapped between two identities: That of a husband to his wife, and that of an artist to his patrons. Andrea del Sarto recognizes that his work as a painter often distances him from his wife, but he also recognizes that his love for his wife has reduced his capability to paint subjects as they are. Of course, del Sarto himself is presenting only his side of the story, that of a man who is trying to support his wife with his work; it would be interesting to see Lucrezia's side of the tale. What is fascinating is that del Sarto's world view and explanation of his life, the narrative of his existence, seems to be totally sincerely held, yet it is also in many ways deeply contradictory: Resentful and loving, taking responsibility and passing on responsibility. In this sense, del Sarto's mono log is clearly a sincerely held view of the world, but is precisely the kind of view that a real person holds: Filled with inaccuracies and competing self-images. One of the crucial clues to the meaning of the poem is the superlative that Andrea del Sarto has earned: â€Å"Faultless Painter†. Del Sarto has interpreted this vision of himself to mean that he has managed to be technically perfect but emotionally limited, yet that superlative doesn't seem to just point to a flawless technician. Del Sarto has apparently achieved notoriety in his life, yet he is still unsatisfied with his work. In del Sarto's worldview, his wife has made it so that he is only technically proficient, not emotionally proficient. But it is quite clear that del Sarto is actually deeply emotiona... ... loving husband, and a strong man. Unfortunately, his real world is not perfect, so he finds that he is only a faultless but not exceptional painter, a husband who is married to a woman who spends his money, and a man who is unable to stand up to his wife. It is unquestionable that del Sarto honestly believes all of these things. The fact that his beliefs are based on mutually contradictory components does not change the fact that this is clearly the statement of a man's worldview. Browning gives us the image of a man walking through his own self-image, and invites the reader to share in the uncertainty about del Sarto. Without ever hearing from others, such as his peers, his patrons, and his wife, it is impossible to know the truth; the only thing we can know is what del Sarto thought and what his worldview was, and that is enough to understand the man and his art.