Repressed painter, rebel poet: Browning and Filippo Lippi

A tradition-ridden prejudiced society imposes an authoritative pressure to the instinctive and creative artist, Robert Browning in the guise of a Florentine Renaissance painter Fra Lippo. Though not openly, in a defensive mode he challenges authority and tries to acquire freedom for the artists and emphasizes on bodily presence in the process of soul searching as well. Browning puts his experiences into Fra Lippo's historical figure and thereby makes his arguments livelier and reasonable. A dominant presence of the idea ’art for art's sake’ (L'art pour L'art) is felt in his arguments against the Prior. A humble attempt is made to unveil and locate the nature of repression upon and the consequent rebellion of an artist under societal pressure.