Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
c. 1558
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels
Write the following: Activity I and II
the title of the painting
 the artist’s name
 one detail from the background
 one detail from the foreground
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Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
c. 1558
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels
Pieter Bruegel
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Pieter Bruegel the Elder,
nicknamed ‘Peasant Bruegel’
was probably the most
significant and exciting painter
in the Northern Europe during
the middle part of the
sixteenth century. His
nickname “Peasant Bruegel”
indicates his subjects: peasant
life, proverbs and genre
scenes, the New Testament—
topics set among common
folks of contemporary
Flanders.
*
Remember
The learner can recall information and/or
processes at will.
Activity III
Write a brief description of the scene
depicted in the painting.
Shepherd
gazes at the
sky
The ship
sails
right by
Icarus’
legs
Farmer
concentrates
on plowing
The man on
shore doesn’ t
notice
Understand
Learners make connections between what
they already know and the new ideas they
are trying to assimilate.
The “understand” level of thinking usually
involves conceptual knowledge, the
comprehension of an idea.
Sensory Impressions and Mood—Activity IV
Animal sounds—
horse, sheep,
dog; wind
blowing through
trees; splash as
Icarus hits the
water
Salty air;
dust/dirt stirred
by plow
Quiet; peaceful,
mundane;
apathetic;
disinterested;
idyllic; expectant,
lonely; detached,
etc.
Sun going
down; delicate
sailing ship;
farmer plowing;
Icarus’ legs
thrashing the
sea; shepherd
gazing into sky;
city in
background
Warmth of the sun;
soft, newly-plowed
earth; movement of
ship; coolness of
water; breeze in sails;
whip on horse; edge
of plowed row;
Scents of animals;
salty air; newly
plowed earth;
sweaty farmer;
“fishy” seaside
smells
Apply
Learners use procedures and processes they
have already learned to execute tasks and solve
problems.
Activity V.
What is a theme of the painting?
List three or more specific details that
support this theme.
Analyze
Learners break material down into its
constituent parts and determine how the parts
are related to each other and to an overall
structure.
Activity VI:
Which detail in the painting most effectively conveys the
theme?
Justify your answer.
Evaluate
Learners detect flaws or inconsistencies in
a product or process and/or use predetermined criteria to judge the quality of
a product or text.
Activity VII
Landscape With The Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams
According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring
a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry
of the year was
awake tingling
near
the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself
sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax
unsignificantly
off the coast
there was
a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning
Using the Williams poem as a model, create an
original poem, taking the perspective of one of
the following and beginning with the sentence
“According to ______________, when Icarus
fell….”
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someone on the deck of the ship
the plowman
the fisherman on the bank
Icarus
Daedalus
the sheepherder
Create (Synthesize)
Learners combine elements into a
different form or merge information from
several sources into a unified whole. A
new product comes into being from
previously existing materials or texts.
Credits
Image of Brueghel available at:
http://www.abcgallery.com/B/bruegel/bru
egel152.JPG
 Vulpine reading of “Landscape with the
Fall of Icarus” available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf5MFI
C1fOs
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