landscape with the Fall of Icarus
Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Year Composed: 1555
Artistic Movement: Renaissance
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
Year Composed: 1555
Artistic Movement: Renaissance
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Floor
About the Artwork
In Greek mythology, Icarus had a pair of wings created by his father, Daedalus. Not heeding the warnings from his father, Icarus flew too close to the sun, resulting in the wings being burned. Icarus then plummeted from the sky into the sea. This narrative is depicted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in his Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Within this painting, Bruegel paints what seems to be a quiet, peaceful, serene landscape of the coast of the Netherlands. However, upon closer inspection in the bottom-right corner of the canvas, Icarus' legs can be seen the moment he fell from the sky into the sea. This small but significant incorporation adds to the illusion that not all artwork appears as it seems; this peaceful landscape painting has a dark, sad story in the fall of Icarus.
About the Artist
As one of the most well-known Netherlandish Renaissance artists, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, also known as the "Peasant Bruegel", was known for his landscape and genre painting scenes. For the time period, Bruegel was innovative in his selection of his scenes; he painting no portraits in his career and also painted few religious works, both of which were prominent within Renaissance art. Paintings like The Procession to Calvary (1564), Netherlandish Proverbs (1559), and The Hunters in the Snow (1565) were works that depicted depth, allegories of everyday life in the Netherlands, and proverbial scenes with deeper meanings and messages that were relevant to the Dutch society of the 16th Century (or of the 1500s).
About the Movement
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus was composed in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Location of Original Work of Art: Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
In Greek mythology, Icarus had a pair of wings created by his father, Daedalus. Not heeding the warnings from his father, Icarus flew too close to the sun, resulting in the wings being burned. Icarus then plummeted from the sky into the sea. This narrative is depicted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in his Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Within this painting, Bruegel paints what seems to be a quiet, peaceful, serene landscape of the coast of the Netherlands. However, upon closer inspection in the bottom-right corner of the canvas, Icarus' legs can be seen the moment he fell from the sky into the sea. This small but significant incorporation adds to the illusion that not all artwork appears as it seems; this peaceful landscape painting has a dark, sad story in the fall of Icarus.
About the Artist
As one of the most well-known Netherlandish Renaissance artists, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, also known as the "Peasant Bruegel", was known for his landscape and genre painting scenes. For the time period, Bruegel was innovative in his selection of his scenes; he painting no portraits in his career and also painted few religious works, both of which were prominent within Renaissance art. Paintings like The Procession to Calvary (1564), Netherlandish Proverbs (1559), and The Hunters in the Snow (1565) were works that depicted depth, allegories of everyday life in the Netherlands, and proverbial scenes with deeper meanings and messages that were relevant to the Dutch society of the 16th Century (or of the 1500s).
About the Movement
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus was composed in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Location of Original Work of Art: Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium