Transcript Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Pieter Bruegel the
Elder
Max Ames
An Introduction to the
Renaissance
 14th century to the 17th century
 Rebirth of classics, start of Humanism
 A change in the style of Art: perspective,
realism, proportion, lighting
 Began in Italy (Florence); patronage of the
Medici
The Spread of the Renaissance
 Began 14th century in
Florence Italy
 Mid-15th century
invention of printing
press by Gutenberg
 16th Century:
Northern Renaissance
Early Life of Bruegel
 1525-1530 in Breda,
Netherlands (it is believed)
 “Brueghel” to “Bruegel” in
1559 (The year without an ‘H’)
 Pieter Coeck van Aelst
 1551: Master of the Painters'
Guild of Antwerp
 Next three years he traveled
abroad
 Returned to Flanders to work
for Hieronymus Cock
 “Peasant Bruegel”
Influences on Bruegel
 Influenced by Coecke’s compositions
(humanistic milieu)
 Coecke's wife, Maria Verhulst Bessemers,
influenced use of water colors
 Mechelen artists used allegorical and
peasant thematic material.
Subjects of Bruegel’s Paintings
 Genre paintings: everyday
people doing everyday things
 Sketched townspeople and
farmers
 Depicted observed types
 Depicted peasants and large
landscapes
 Peasants: Social aspects of 16th
century
 Landscapes: evidence of little
ice age
 Aphorisms (Netherlandish
Proverbs)
Style
 Tiny figures crowded
in a panoramic space
 Simple
 Demonological
 Inspiration from
nature
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
The Triumph of Death

Netherlandish Proverbs
Later Life
 After 1562 painting took
up most of his time
 Died September, 1569
(Only in his forties)
 Very influenced by Italian
Renaissance art during his
last years
 Still continued early style
Family
 Pieter Brueghel the younger
 Jan Brueghel the elder
 Taught by grandmother, Mayken Verhulst
 Brueghels = painting dynasty
The Mystery of Bruegel
 He did not use the style of
Italian Renaissance portraitures
 Early Historians did not care
about him
 People started to care… 500
years after his death……..
 No records
 We know what we know
thanks to Carel van Mander
 What happened to the “H” in
“Brueghel”!?!?
Works Cited

"Bruegel, Pieter the Elder." Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable
Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1850). Web Gallery of Art. Web. 1 June 2011.
<http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/b/bruegel/pieter_e/biograph.html>.

Gombrich, E. H. "Pieter Bruegel the Elder." Mark Harden's Artchive. Artchive. Web. 1 June 2011.
<http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/bruegel.html>.

Langley, Andrew. Renaissance. New York: Knopf, 1999. Print.

Mühlberger, Richard. What Makes a Bruegel a Bruegel? New York: Viking, 1993. Print.

Roberts, Keith. "Pieter Bruegel the Elder Biography." Vintage Posters, Museumposters and Fine
Reproduction Art. Arcadian Galleries. Web. 1 June 2011. <http://www.mezzomondo.com/arts/mm/bruegel/bruegel.html>.

Stokstad, Marilyn, Marion Spears. Grayson, and Stephen Addiss. Art History. New York: H.N.
Abrams, 1995. Print.

Williams, William C. "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus." Poem Index. Emory University. Web. 1
June 2011.

Wisse, Jacob. "Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525/30–1569) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline
of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York:
Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 1 June 2011.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/brue/hd_brue.htm>.