Analysis of "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" Essay Example
Thesis: In Pieter Bruegel’s painting, “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus,” he uses a Greek myth, orientation of objects, and an emphasis on peasants to convey that being too ambitious results in negative outcomes, which causes the viewer to think that living more simply will lead to a more satisfying life.
In the bottom right-hand corner of the painting, you can see Icarus upside-down, drowning. In a Greek myth, Icarus is given a pair of wings made of wax and feathers by his father. As he receives them, his father tells him not to fly too close to the sun. But Icarus’ excess zealousness leads him near the sun which melts the wax and causes him to plummet to his death into the sea. By painting Icarus very small, as if he were insignificant, Bruegel implies that Icarus is a poor example of how to live a satisfying life. Icarus was so eager to fly that he overlooked what his father told him not to do and caused him to fail. Aside from Icarus, nearly everything else in the painting seems to be facing away from him. A boat which is adjacent to Icarus is going the opposite direction of him. There are also more boats farther away which also neglect Icarus. In reality though, boats would definitely address a dying man. Especially the closest boat. The two peasants are paying no attention to him. The animals the peasants are tending to remain calm. But if they were in a normal situation, they would almost certainly acknowledge a man drowning nearby. All of these things neglecting Icarus shows that his choice that being too ambitious doesn’t fair well. The painting focuses on a peasant who is plowing and another who seems to be tending to sheep. Both of these tasks are very basic in comparison to what Icarus was doing. Because Bruegel chooses to make the peasants so much bigger than Icarus, it causes the viewer to pay more attention to their lives. This symbolizes that the simplicity and lack of ambition in the peasant’s lives are more satisfying than the life of
In the bottom right-hand corner of the painting, you can see Icarus upside-down, drowning. In a Greek myth, Icarus is given a pair of wings made of wax and feathers by his father. As he receives them, his father tells him not to fly too close to the sun. But Icarus’ excess zealousness leads him near the sun which melts the wax and causes him to plummet to his death into the sea. By painting Icarus very small, as if he were insignificant, Bruegel implies that Icarus is a poor example of how to live a satisfying life. Icarus was so eager to fly that he overlooked what his father told him not to do and caused him to fail. Aside from Icarus, nearly everything else in the painting seems to be facing away from him. A boat which is adjacent to Icarus is going the opposite direction of him. There are also more boats farther away which also neglect Icarus. In reality though, boats would definitely address a dying man. Especially the closest boat. The two peasants are paying no attention to him. The animals the peasants are tending to remain calm. But if they were in a normal situation, they would almost certainly acknowledge a man drowning nearby. All of these things neglecting Icarus shows that his choice that being too ambitious doesn’t fair well. The painting focuses on a peasant who is plowing and another who seems to be tending to sheep. Both of these tasks are very basic in comparison to what Icarus was doing. Because Bruegel chooses to make the peasants so much bigger than Icarus, it causes the viewer to pay more attention to their lives. This symbolizes that the simplicity and lack of ambition in the peasant’s lives are more satisfying than the life of