Why it matters
Bruegel packs a single village scene with people, animals and objects that literally act out Dutch proverbs and idioms. Its original title, The Blue Cloak or The Folly of the World, shows that his real subject was human folly.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1559 on an oak panel.
- His son Pieter Brueghel the Younger painted at least 16 copies of it.
- Many of the figures have the blank features Bruegel used to portray fools.
Based on the Wikipedia article Netherlandish Proverbs (CC BY-SA 4.0).
