Pieter Bruegel
Born - Brögel, Netherlands c.1525
Died – Brussels, Belgium 1569
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was the most important member of a family of painters and the greatest of the early Netherlands artists. A late medieval, fantasy style revealing the influence of Bosch is typical of Bruegel’s early work, of which the intriguing and ingenious Tower of Babel is an outstanding example. After joining the studio of Pieter Coecke who encouraged him to develop his landscapes, Bruegel travelled through France and Italy between 1552 and 1554. His drawings of mountain scenery, made while in the Alps, formed the basis for later compositions. In the late 1550s, he started work on the genre scenes and huge landscapes for which he is best known. Given the name “Peasant Bruegel” because of his habit of adopting disguise to enter these rowdy celebrations of rural life, Bruegel’s close-up observations are at once affectionate and satirical. In 1563, settled in Brussels and with patronage, Bruegel started work on a series which took months of the year as his theme. In his evocation of atmosphere and feeling he showed a new sensitivity toward landscape.
Masterpieces:
- Hunters in the Snow
- Peasant Wedding Feast
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About pieter bruegel
Pieter Bruegel
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Pieter Bruegel (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)
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Pieter Bruegel
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