something is missing in his art His paintings have no soul or deep feeling He says other artists like Rafael and Michelangelo make mistakes but their work has more life Andrea believes real greatness comes from deep feeling not just skill Andrea thinks people should try to do more than what they can easily reach Here he says one of the most famous lines of this poem A man's reach should exceed his grasp Or what's a heaven for Here Andrea means that people should always try for something higher even if they cannot reach it People should always try and never give up Andrea is sad He feels that he gave up a life of great potential for love for his Lucrezia He says that he had the skill to do great things but not the inspiration He thinks some people can do great things but do not like him and others want to but cannot So Browning is saying that life is not only about talent It is about desire passion and trying to reach higher goals Art as Pride and Power In My Last Duchess Browning shows the pride and cruelty of the Duke of Ferrara In this poem the beautiful painting of the duke s late wife becomes a symbol of power and control He proudly points to the portrait of his dead wife and says That s my last Duchess painted on the wall Only the Duke decides who will see the painting The Duchess is no longer a living woman she is only an object Later we understand that the Duke is a jealous murderer He killed his wife because she was cheerful and smiled with everyone He reveals I gave commands Then all smiles stopped together For the Duke art is a tool of pride and power Browning clearly shows that such an attitude is cruel and dangerous Art Should Portray Real Life In Fra Lippo Lippi Browning presents his most positive idea of art Fra Lippo is a painter and a monk Though he is a monk he says he likes to enjoy life He meets secretly with ladies From his speech we learn that the Church wants him to paint only religious pictures But he wants to paint real people and real life He says Can't I take breath and try to add life's flash He believes that art should show real life real people and real emotions He believes that God created the world beautifully so painting life is not sinful Browning suggests that art should come from living fully Real experience makes art strong and meaningful In fine Browning presents a clear philosophy about art and life in his famous poems He dislikes art that is empty proud or separated from real life He also dislikes a life without ambition Browning believes that great art is possible only when life is lived deeply with struggle feeling and courage