Peter Bruegel II, Bird Trap,1565

When you first look at Peter Bruegel you don't seen elegance or an array of golden charms but rather a gorgeous simplicity. Bird Trap, painted in Antwerp shows the simplicity and beauty in the peasant life. The title pertains to the makeshift wooden plank, un-manned almost forgotten thrust to the right side. Why does Bruegel choose to depict peasants? Is it for their importance to their respective posts? Or is it simply a mockery? The painting highlights the harsh truth that these peasants are a bunch of drunkards who would rather ice skate than do real work.

Cold, one word to describe the bleak white capped buildings and barren trees,.  cold is all around. Green blue mixed in with gray a palletethat Bruegel uses to produce a hues that subdue the warmth in the piece. Despite the chilly climate there is a warmth characterized by a way of life only known to those with little to nothing. Community to summarize it in one word, everyone working together to make it through the harsh winter, to overcome hardship together. The ice skaters blissfully breeze through the harshness of the climate surrounded by family and friends that make the viewer crave companionship.

The beauty in Bird Trap is derived from the simplicity of life; Luther's reform brought about new aspects in which to view ideology and theory. A drastic change to the spirituality of the north frightened many and begged the question of how ones life would change. Amongst those in jeopardy of loosing their lifestyle, the peasants. Bruegel painted this scene to show the way of life that continues to function, a tribute to the past. A futile attempt to preserve the ever changing social strata that now surrounds the north, no one left to trap the birds, no one left to live the simple life.