Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus: how the myth inspired the painting | Starter Quiz | Oak National Academy

Creative people – writers, painters, sculptors etc. – are often inspired by other pieces of art they have read, seen, listened to or heard of. What does it mean to be inspired?

• to copy someone else's work but put it in a different format

• to mimic someone else's work and referring to them throughout

• to be motivated to create something after experiencing someone else's work

• to compare your work to someone else's and explain the differences

Answer explanation

The feeling of being inspired is exciting. Often, a piece of art, or a text, can spark something in the imagination to help with the creative process. This is why it's so important to read, hear, watch and experience lots of different type of art.

In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we are going to read a story in which Greece, Athens and Crete are important locations. Match each place to a fact about it.

• Athens

• a capital city

• Crete

• a country in southeastern Europe

• Greece

• a large island in the Mediterranean sea

Answer explanation

Greece is famous for many different things, but one of them is a type of story called a myth. One of the most famous is about a man called Daedalus who has to leave Athens and live in Crete.

In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we explore a story called the Fall of Icarus, a famous Greek myth. What is a myth?

• a story telling people how to behave

• a truthful account of the history of a nation

• an ancient story

• a story often explaining what the world is like and why

• a long narrative poem

Answer explanation

Many different cultures have their own myths and mythologies. The myths differ widely, but share some common features. For example, explaining how the world began, or certain social customs. They often involve supernatural characters or events.

In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we will look at a range of different stories. There are so many different ways to tells stories. Match each text type to its definition.

• legend

• a story about humans, often seeming historical but still fictitious

• painting

• a visual art in which colour and brushes are used to convey meaning

• myth

• a piece of writing written in stanzas and with a close focus on rhythm

• poem

• stories which explain how the world began and what the world is like

Answer explanation

Myths, legends, poems and paintings have a rich history in almost all cultures. You have probably read, watched, seen or listened to examples of all of them.

Some texts you will read in the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' will include morals. What is a moral?

• a lesson taught through the act of story-telling

• an ancient story

• a story deriving from ancient Greece

• a piece of non-fiction giving instructions

Answer explanation

Stories with morals are often read with and to children to teach them right from wrong in a way that is engaging.

Some of the stories in 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' inspire artwork. For example, Pieter Bruegel painted a picture in around 1558 inspired by a myth. What is true of the year 1558?

• It is the time of ancient Greek civilisation.

• It is part of the 16th century.

• Shakespeare was alive in 1558.

• It is part of the Victorian era.

• Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne in Britain.

Answer explanation

Pieter Bruegel was born in the Netherlands in around 1525. One of his most famous paintings was inspired by a Greek myth and painted in 1558, the 16th century.