Pieter Bruegel Peasant Dance Essay

Art is consistently thought to be a reflection of the society one lives in. One Dutch artist, Pieter Bruegel is known for painting about peasant life in the 16th century. Bruegel puts this concept at the forefront of his painting, The Peasant Dance. To some it is a painting displaying peasants dancing at a carnival. To others, it makes a statement showing the differences in individuals behaviors in religious settings compared to secular situations. Four Centuries later, a poet uses Bruegel’s painting as an inspiration of his own work. This physician/poet, William Carlos Williams, in his poem The Dance explores the incongruity of religious and social behaviours. Pieter Bruegel's painting known as The Kermess (or The Peasant Dance) depicts
A shank, is defined as, “a person's leg, especially the part from the knee to the ankle.”(Merriam Webster) here he uses it to describe meat to be consumed. However, Williams implies a meaty, full leg as a description of the dancer’s legs. This is also reflected in Bruegel’s painting which depicts a fuller person dancing. The plumpness of the peasants implies their gluttony and, “that the peasants are engrossed with material things rather than spiritual issues.” (mydailyartdisplay) The poem does not mention the subjects uninterest in the religious symbols. For example, no one pays attention to the image of the Madonna on the flag hanging from the tavern. “In all, the artists shows the duplicity of real life: a kermess (a festival celebrating a saint) has become a mere pretext for people to indulge in their narcissism.” (Barber 273) Bruegel illustrates the peasants imperfections and Williams poem is focused on their contradictions. He leaves out the religious part because, in this