Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus Essay

722 Words3 Pages
Paintings, much like photographs, can tell a story. However, unlike a photograph, a painter can add certain details that may not be chronologically correct or realistic. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, painted by Pieter Bruegel, is set in the late 1500s, but shows Icarus, a character from ancient Greek Myth, drowning in the ocean behind a large ship. The ship appears to be headed toward a large city, and it is possible that they have never been there before. The ship, travelling to new lands, reminds of one of the times I rode my bicycle on the Washington and Old Dominion trail. The story of Icarus is essential to accurately interpreting the painting. Without the context, Icarus would appear to have been a person that fell overboard from the passing ship. Icarus is the son of Daedalus, who was an extremely talented craftsmen who was exiled to a tower in the middle of an ocean. To escape, Daedalus constructed a pair of wings out of feathers and wax. Before departing, Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun nor…show more content…
In the foreground there are two farmers, one plowing the ground and another tending to a flock of sheep. On a lower cliff, a man is fishing in close proximity to Icarus but does not see him despite having a direct sightline to Icarus. Icarus is drowning between the fisherman and a large ship sailing toward a city in the background. The city is in the background along with some other ships, mountains and other cities. At first glance, it is hard to make out Icarus farming a painting that looks placid. When Icarus is located, the painting can take on a new meaning. He could show how insignificant many events can be and also how little people care for others, especially when they are in distress. During a few bicycle rides I felt like Icarus, in distress due to a mechanical problem with no one stopping to offer help. However, during one bike ride I felt like the people on the boat, sailing to a new
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