Landscape with the Parable of the Sower

The painting tells a story of faith and salvation. In its detail, Bruegel's 1557 Landscape with the Parable of the Sower masterpiece combines the famous parable of the sower as told by all the four gospel books in the Bible.

In a time when most artists were preoccupied with painting the spiritual realm in all its perfection, Bruegel found a way to portray the very glory of God onto canvas while at the same time, maintain the course and natural appearance of nature.

Landscape with the Parable of the Sowershows a peasant sowing seeds in the foreground. This is adopted from the 13th chapter of the book of Matthew (besides other gospel books) which talks of a sower planting seed on both good and bad ground.

Bruegel tries to bring out the distinction of the soil by adding the tree stump and a number of stones around it.It is easy to get lost in the painting, especially the brightness of the horizon that gives it a sense of timelessness.

There is village and a river, and in the background, Bruegel painted under a watchful sky.

Like in most of his paintings, he was able to fit a human being, and a common peasant at that, into the diversity of nature without distorting any natural or spiritual factor associated with the painting.

He used land and the life that grew out of this land to point out greater truths about the universe.

At the first glance, one cannot help but notice the unusual combination of characteristics in this painting; the village, the river, the sower, the mountains, a small church steeple and a distinct crowd visible across the river, but if there was one thing Bruegel was famous for, it was his ability to hide deeper spiritual revelations behind the everyday scenery.