12 - Pisser contre la lune

Pissing at the moon. One of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Twelve Proverb (c. 1558), twelve small round wooden panels originally used as decorative plates. Each panel illustrates a Flemish proverb with humor and social commentary. Later, the plates were framed together, with text added to explain the sayings. The artwork reflects Bruegel’s fascination with everyday wisdom and human folly. Original caption: Vat ick vervolghe en geraecke daer niet aen, ick pisse altyt tegen de maen. English translation: Whatever I pursue, I never succeed; I always piss against the moon. (Whatever I do is in vain. I piss at the moon.) “Pissing at the moon” (or “barking at the moon”) means making futile efforts—struggling in vain, as if trying to achieve the impossible.