Return of the Herd

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Return of the Herd

1565

oil on panel

Length: 159 cm. Height: 117 cm.

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Return of the Herd is a topic of debate in the sense that it could be depicting the natural world or human nature as well as being both documentary and symbolic. As a depiction of human nature as well as a sense of document, it shows the actual process of moving cattle to a new location. It can also be seen as documentary in that it depicts a certain calendar month. The calendar month depicted is controversial as well. A grape harvest can be seen on one of the slopes, indicating it actually be the month of October, rather than November which is usually associated with this painting.

 However, the landscape and atmosphere of the painting cannot be overlooked. The emphasis on this aspect over the actual labors of the figures supports the idea that it is a symbolic painting. The natural world is shown in not only the rough terrain and winding river that the workers endured, but in the contrasting sky as well. The changing weather can be said to have a connection with the inevitable change of the figures being depicted.