This painting is a brilliant visual joke about a man who hates the world. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted this circular masterpiece in 1568 to mock human foolishness. We see an old man dressed in a heavy black cloak. He looks sour and grumpy. He walks with his hands clasped and pulls his hood low over his face. He is actively turning his back on society.
The Dutch inscription at the bottom reveals his thoughts. It says he goes into mourning because the world is so unfaithful and untrue. He believes he is too good for the lies of other people. But Bruegel includes a cruel twist that the old man does not see. Behind him walks a strange little figure inside a glass globe with a cross. This figure represents the World itself.
While the man complains about dishonesty the World is literally cutting his purse strings. He is being robbed by the very thing he tries to escape. To make matters worse he is walking blindly toward dangerous metal spikes scattered on the ground. The painting warns us that self-righteousness makes us blind. You cannot escape reality just by closing your eyes.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder; The Misanthrope; 1568; Tempera on linen; Diameter 86 cm (33.8 in); Museo di Capodimonte; Naples, Italy
why it's art
This painting is a brilliant visual joke about a man who hates the world. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted this circular masterpiece in 1568 to mock human foolishness. We see an old man dressed in a heavy black cloak. He looks sour and grumpy. He walks with his hands clasped and pulls his hood low over his face. He is actively turning his back on society.
The Dutch inscription at the bottom reveals his thoughts. It says he goes into mourning because the world is so unfaithful and untrue. He believes he is too good for the lies of other people. But Bruegel includes a cruel twist that the old man does not see. Behind him walks a strange little figure inside a glass globe with a cross. This figure represents the World itself.
While the man complains about dishonesty the World is literally cutting his purse strings. He is being robbed by the very thing he tries to escape. To make matters worse he is walking blindly toward dangerous metal spikes scattered on the ground. The painting warns us that self-righteousness makes us blind. You cannot escape reality just by closing your eyes.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder; The Misanthrope; 1568; Tempera on linen; Diameter 86 cm (33.8 in); Museo di Capodimonte; Naples, Italy
5 days ago | [YT] | 60