Brueghel

Introduction

Pieter Bruegel The Elder (1525-1569) was a Netherlandish painter and designer for engravings. Bruegel was born on 1525 in Breda and died in 1569 in Brussels. He revived the late Gothic style of Hieronymus Bosch. Bruegel was known for his landscapes and paintings, which centered around the lives of peasants. Bruegel was the apprentice of Pieter coecke van Aelst who is a leading Antwerp artist who had located in Brussels, who's daughter, Mayken he married on 1563. Pieter Bruegel was nicknamed Peasant Bruegel because of his art which depicted peasant scenes. Bruegel's most famous art work is Hunters in the Snow. Bruegel's last name was spelled Bruehgel until 1559 he started using his name as Bruegel instead of Bruehgel. Bruegel's legacy continued by his two sons, Pieter the younger (1564-1638) and Jan (1568-1625). Bruegel's style was Northern Renaissance which he used for attention to surface detail and had naturalism. Bruegel's paintings either consisted domestic interior, portraits, or religious scenes for example Triumph of Death which was a religious scene. Bruegel usually used oil on panel because it was part of the Northern Renaissance style. Bruegel's first painting is Christ on the Sea of Tiberias, 1553, Pauw Collection, Brussels. Bruegel's genre painting typically depicted solid Pegasus painted with bright pure pigment and compositions based on diagonal lines and S-curves which draws the viewer's eyes into the canvas. In 1551 Bruegel got accepted as a master in the painter's guild.