Reading Art

Reading Art

Art in the form of paintings can be compared and contrasted. While both the Builders and The Fall of Icarus are similar, they are different in the messages they portray.

For The Fall of Icarus, Pieter Bruegel drew inspiration from the story of Icarus and Daedalus. The story tells of the dangers of letting your ego overshadow your potential leading to your downfall. The painting shows how social class can be determined by occupation. After his fall, Icarus would be beneath them both figuratively and literally. And while being self absorbed in their accomplishments, no one pays Icarus any attention.

The Builders by Jacob Lawrence demonstrates how occupation can also be an equalizer in society, not just a divider. In a time when race predetermined ones class, the work place forced them to put aside their egos to work towards a common goal. The painting depicts men of different races working together to "build a better nation" figuratively speaking, which ties in with the title.

Bruegel's painting shows how an individual's job separates their status in class while Lawrence's painting demonstrates how a job can go beyond different class issues bringing people together who, at the time, were at odds socially. Even though both paintings have interesting backgrounds, I feel the Builders has a more powerful meaning.