Pieter Bruegel Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus

The art piece I chose is Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This medium of this painting is an oil on canvas. This type of medium is also painted on linen, thus allowing the oil paint to be better absorbed with just thin layers of color called glazes. In addition, oil paint dries very slowly making the mixture flexible for different or same colors to be mixed easier, even after several days. Another aspect of the oil medium is that it creates a luminosity and smooth effect to the painting.
Therefore, I think the Bruegel choses this type of medium, because it allowed him to have a variety of types of color as well as making the painting very detailed over time. The end results of the painting further enhance the painting making it look very realistic like if it were painted at the exact moment. Since, the painting is actually telling a Greek mythology story it was most likely crucial for him to be very precise on the details of it. Thus, making it sufficiently easy for us to understand the meaning of the painting. Another reason I think he probably chose this media was the fact that it was popular during that time in Brussels.
One major Design Principle I feel Bruegel promotes is focal point, but in subordination.
Bruegel uses contrast in order to draw more attention to different parts of the painting. In this particular painting the artist does not emphasis much detail on Icarus yet he is mentioned on the title of the painting. Icarus is barely noticeable with all the other detailed parts that consume the painting, his legs are just dully seen coming out of the large sea. However, Bruegel does this purposely to divert our attention to other aspects of the paining. As well as, probably giving in other meaning to the painting other than the mythology like how life
continuous.
In the foreground of Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, there is a plowman with a bright red shirt working on a field, a shepherd with his herd of sheep, and to the bottom right there is a fisherman. Then there is a bright yellow colored sunset in the sky and in the center of the painting there is a large dark blue with ships. There are also mountains on the sides of the painting that are lighter colors. The fact that there are darker shades in some areas and lighter ones on other in the painting it helps create a balance. Also, the usage of dark and bright colors creating contrast help emphasize different part of the painting. Since, it gets darker to where Icarus falls that may symbolize death. The usage of lines also helps demonstrate the landscape like the mountains, trees, and ground.