High School

Click to read "Musée des Beaux Arts," by W. H. Auden. Then answer the question.

Both Brueghel and Auden refer to the story of the fall of Icarus in their works. How are "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" and "Musée des Beaux Arts" similar?

A. They draw focus to the water by indicating that it is very dangerous.
B. They draw focus to Icarus by using his name and picture in the titles.
C. They take focus away from the water by balancing it with the sky.
D. They take focus away from Icarus by including many other ordinary elements.

Answer :

Final answer:

Both Brueghel's and Auden's works illustrate a theme where the tragedy of Icarus is overshadowed by the ongoing mundanity of life. They focus on how people continue their daily activities despite significant events occurring around them. The correct answer is that they take focus away from Icarus by including many other ordinary elements.


Explanation:

Comparison of Brueghel's and Auden's Works

In both Landscape with the Fall of Icarus and W.H. Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts, there is a notable emphasis on the everyday moments of life that occur amidst tragedy. Both works depict the story of Icarus, yet they do so by shifting the focus away from Icarus himself. In Brueghel's painting, Icarus is relegated to the background, with his legs barely visible above the water as the farmers labor on in the foreground, suggesting that life goes on despite individual tragedies.

Auden's poem similarly underscores this idea, presenting the fall of Icarus as an inconsequential event in the grand scheme of daily existence, with the people around him continuing their routines as if nothing has happened. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is:

  1. D. They take focus away from Icarus by including many other ordinary elements.

This shared perspective in both artworks highlights the theme that ordinary life continues even in the face of personal disaster.


Learn more about Icarus here:

https://brainly.com/question/29356212