Andrea Del Sarto Quotations
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,Meaning: A man should try to go beyond what he can achieve.Or what’s a heaven for?”
Description: Andrea says this to express that great artists aim high, even if they fail. True greatness needs risk and ambition. But Andrea admits he did not do this.
“All is silver-grey,Meaning: His art is perfect but dull and lifeless.Placid and perfect with my art: the worse!”
Description: Andrea says his paintings are smooth and calm, like a silver-grey evening. But they lack energy, passion, and soul. He sees this as a failure.
“I do what many dream of, all their lives—Meaning: He paints easily what others try hard to achieve.Dream? strive to do, and agonize to do,
And fail in doing.”
Description: Andrea shows pride in his technical skill. Many painters suffer and try hard to paint like him, but they fail. Still, he feels his art is not great.
“Had you... but brought a mind!Meaning: He wishes Lucrezia had given him inspiration.Some women do so.”
Description: Andrea blames his wife for not encouraging him to aim higher. He feels her beauty was not enough. She did not have the mind to lift his soul.
“In heaven, perhaps, new chances, one more chance—Meaning: He hopes for a new chance in heaven.Four great walls in the New Jerusalem...
While I have mine!”
Description: At the end, Andrea dreams that in heaven, he will paint with great artists like Leonardo and Rafael. They had no wives, but he had Lucrezia—his final choice.
“But had you—oh, with the same perfect brow,Meaning: Andrea praises Lucrezia’s beauty but wants more.And perfect eyes, and more than perfect mouth,
And the low voice my soul hears, as a bird”