Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus By Pieter Bruegel

The myth of Icarus is one that has been used time and time again by artists in countless mediums. Though this story was written long ago, whether it is painting or music the appearance or influence of Icarus keeps resurfacing. But some of the creators of the work only use the story as reference, instead using the idea and traits of Icarus as a way to relate the viewer or reader. The way they do this is by humanizing Icarus, giving him more life-like traits; particularly with an emphasis on fear. They take the story of Icarus and adapt it to fit the theme of the human’s fear as way to make the story more relatable, drawing on very universal fears that all struggle with, and ultimately more appealing to the audience. The Imagery of Icarus has
One example of this can be seen in the Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”. The painting depicts a town nestled away in a bay or harbor, showing the residents going about their daily businesses. Bruegel painted in many references to Icarus and his father Daedalus, thus allowing the viewer to see the visual similarities between the painting and the story. In the middle of the water you see the island where Daedalus built the maze that was supposed to contain the Minotaur and would ultimately act as the prison for him and his son. The inclusion of this gives the viewer just enough information to assume that this painting takes place in Athens and is dealing with the subject matter of the myth of Icarus. But the similarities stop here, and you then begin to notice the differences between this painting and the story. In the story of Icarus, the focus is all on him and Daedalus, where in this painting there is no actual depiction of either; only showing the residents going about their daily lives. This leads the viewer to start making assumptions as to why the