Why would W.H. Auden write about the distant past?

Question

In the poem Musee des Beaux Arts, Auden writes about the past. Why?

People are indifferent to human suffering, why?

Answer 1

I think Auden is trying to say that suffering makes for great art- because people don't stop to appreciate it for what it is when it's happening- they don't take notice of it, so when they're forced to take a long hard look at it (such as in paintings or in other forms of art- like literature), they're struck by the sad beauty of it. For that matter, he's writing about "The Old Masters" because he's making a point that history repeats itself- though suffering strikes a chord with people of every age, the cycle of ignoring it continues- the only time we really notice it is in art.