On Going Back to the Street After Viewing an Art Show
On Going Back to the Street After Viewing an Art Show - meaning Summary
Art Versus Lived Streets
Bukowski contrasts the distant, reverent world of statues and paintings with the immediate, chaotic life of the street. He acknowledges art’s valuable and courageous but too removed and insufficient to feed human need. Returning to sunlight and living faces, the speaker reasserts the primacy of everyday existence while giving grudging praise to artists who risked honesty amid flawed humanity. The poem balances admiration and skepticism toward culture.
Read Complete AnalysesThey talk down through the centuries to us, And this we need more and more, The statues and paintings In midnight age As we go along Holding dead hands. And we would say Rather than delude the knowing: A damn good show, But hardly enough for a horse to eat, And out on the sunshine street where Eyes are dabbled in metazoan faces I decide again That in these centuries They have done very well Considering the nature of their Brothers: It's more than good That some of them, (Closer really to the field-mouse than Falcon) Have been bold enough to try. I've formatted the poem for better readability without changing the original content. This content may violate our content policy. If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.
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