 By depicting literal renditions of proverbs in a peasant setting, both artists have shown a "world turned upside down".Bruegel himself had painted several minor paintings on the subject of proverbs including "Big Fish Eat Little Fish" (1556) and "Twelve Proverbs" (1558), but "Netherlandish Proverbs" is thought to have been his first large-scale painting on the theme.Critics have praised the composition for its ordered portrayal and integrated scene.