Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Alexa Rainey S1/R1
The Early Years
Brueghel's Travels
Pieter's life
Patrons and Renaissance Ideals
Pieter used religious characters to depict human folly. In his work "Road to Calvary" Brueghel depicts a busy scene, and, in the center of it all, is Jesus carrying the cross. As such an important event takes place, most of the people in the painting go about their daily lives as if nothing is going on. So many religious executions went on under Spanish rule that executions were no longer of interest.
Hunters in the Snow 1565
Arguably Brueghel's best painting, this work of art was created for a wealthy patron who wanted six seasonal paintings to decorate his mansion. In this wintery picture several tired men return from a long hunt accompanied by their weary dogs. They come back with only a meager fox as a result of their work. This shows Pieter's exceptional landscape work and human emotions. The colors are muted and gray and everything is frozen over. I believe that this piece of work displays a lot of scientific naturalism because of the depth of the land. There is also more of a focus on man than there is on God, depicting the toil of man, which portrays humanism. The original painting can be found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. I find this painting interesting because I love the land and the way that Pieter portrays a wintery feeling through the scene and body language.
Work Cited
"Pieter Bruegel, The Elder." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 71. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Pieter Bruegel." International Dictionary of Art and Artists. Gale, 1990. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Pieter Bruegel the Elder." World Eras. Ed. Norman J. Wilson. Vol. 1: European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Pieter Bruegel the Elder." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Brueghel, Pieter. "Return of the Hunters." ARTstor Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Brueghel, Pieter. "Peasant's Wedding." ARTstor Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Brueghel, Pieter. "The Way to Calvary." ARTstor Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.