Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus Analysis

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The Demise of an Invisible Man
Of all of Greek mythology, Icarus’ fateful journey is one of the most well-known. His story begins with the imprisonment of him and his father Daedalus. King Minos of Crete jailed the two in the supposedly inescapable labyrinth of his island. While there was no escape through the maze, Daedalus crafted wings out of wax for him and his son to fly out of the maze. Before their departure, Daedalus warned Icarus that if he flew too close to the sea or too close to the Sun, his wings would be destroyed and he would fall to his death. However once they escaped the labyrinth, Icarus soon became enamored with the exhilaration of flight and forgot his father’s instruction. Icarus soared too high into the sky and the Sun melted the wax in his wings. Icarus fell out of the sky and into the ocean where he drowned.
Painted in the late 16th century, Pieter Breugal’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” depicts Icarus’s demise in the ocean. However Icarus’ physical presence in the painting is almost nonexistent. Breugal uses several artistic tactics to subordinate Icarus’ finale. This manipulation of perception leads the viewer of the painting to question the importance of Icarus to the piece as a whole. With the viewer’s lack of awareness and the painting’s lack regard for the existence of Icarus, Breugal asserts that others perceptions of an individual determine their worth. Despite the magnitude of the tragic hero Icarus in Western culture, his importance stems from others realizing his importance. Our understanding of our world contains “more than pure objective fact, it includes consciousness". (Berger 11)
With regards to the title of this piece, questions are raised about the intention o...

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...de its appearance and preserved... [t]he painter's way of seeing [and] reconstituted … the marks he [made] on the canvas or paper." (Berger 9-10) The fact that this concept is still relatable to a modern audience illustrates the magnitude of this work’s meaning.
The justification of self-worth is often a product of others consciousness’. In the face of mortality, it is not uncommon to want to be noticed by other people when we are gone. Wanting to extend the presence of being known past physical presence, whether in a certain place or in life in general, is important to many people. To be able to matter to someone on a deep level reinforces the pride a person has in their self-value. While Icarus did not have the luxury of being noticed by society, Breugal utilizes this character as a cautionary tale of how even great people can slip away into the abyss of death.

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