Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus Analysis

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While examining the paining, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by Peter Brueghel, one aspect that seemed prominent to me was that not a single one of the loitering animals was attracted to the excitement in the background. It was certainly appropriate that the human beings were ignoring the tragedy because humans have the tendency to do so due to their sinful nature. However, animals typically respond to any disturbance, no matter how insignificant. For this reason, it seemed unusual that the animals would go on with their lives not caring or even glancing over their shoulders to investigate the cause of the action.

If a dog hears a rustle in the backyard at two o'clock in the morning, he will run outside and identify the mysterious noise. Similarly, if a dog hears someone splashing and screaming for his life, it would seem unusual if he did not respond immediately. Perhaps in this instance, the painter was trying to communicate how inconsiderate society is. Portraying just the people as idling would not have conveyed the point well enough;
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The purpose of creating the paining was not to narrate the story of Icarus, but rather to emphasize society's downside; he just happened to use this particular myth to portray his point. One example that comes to mind is the story of the Good Samaritan. Several people just passed by the suffering man without stopping to help him. They claimed that they did not want to get involved or be seen helping the man because they were embarrassed. This story is similar to the situation in the painting because while the man is drowning and fighting for his life, the people go about their days as if nothing is going on, as if they are blind and do not see what is happening. A supporting explanation is that people are just too arrogant and self-centered to stop what they are doing and save another's