Two Monkeys by Brueghel Analysis
There is a lot of power in works of art and art comes in many different forms; it can come in the form of poems to photographs and everything in between. The meaning of art is an interpretation by the viewer that provides knowledge about human experience that is not available in any other way, a reflection on the meaning of human existence. In Szymborska’s poem, she creates questions about human freedom that causes the reader to inevitably reflect on the meaning of human existence and she uses the painting by Pieter Brueghel to make meaning in her poem.
The painting portrays two monkeys with the depiction of a port in the background, which is very dim, and birds flying in the background, only two being clearly seen; the painting is clearly divided into two spaces, the outside and the inside. The window space in the painting represents closure, enslavement, and the reality in which humans function while the space outside of the window represents openness, freedom, and reality that is not accessible to humans, suggesting that the painting portrays more than just two monkeys. The first sentence of Szymborska’s poem also suggests that there is more than just two monkeys, the poet is describing one of her dreams but she is also describing Brueghel’s work by describing the setting of her dream. The first verse describing the setting, “Two monkeys, chained to the floor, sit on the windowsill” relates to the painting as it is a space of enslavement even though Szymborska describes it in a literal manner, relating to Brueghel’s realism. In comparison, the next two verses are very cheerful and describe a space of freedom, or ...
