BRUEGEL, Pieter the Elder
Flemish Northern Renaissance Painter, ca.1525-1569
(born c. 1525, probably Breda, duchy of Brabant ?? died Sept. 5/9, 1569, Brussels) Greatest Netherlandish painter of the 16th century. Not much is known of his early life, but in 1551 he set off for Italy, where he produced his earliest signed painting, Landscape with Christ and the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberias (c. 1553). Returning to Flanders in 1555, he achieved some fame with a series of satirical, moralizing prints in the style of Hiëronymus Bosch, commissioned by an Antwerp engraver. He is best known for his paintings of Netherlandish proverbs, seasonal landscapes, and realistic views of peasant life and folklore, but he also took a novel approach to religious subject matter, portraying biblical events in panoramic scenes, often viewed from above. He had many important patrons; most of his paintings were commissioned by collectors. In addition to many drawings and engravings, about 40 authenticated paintings from his enormous output have survived. His sons, Peter Brueghel the Younger and Jan, the Elder Brueghel (both of whom restored to the name the h their father had abandoned), and later imitators carried his style into the 18th century. Related Paintings of BRUEGEL, Pieter the Elder :. | Details of Peasant Wedding Feast | Dulle Griet (Mad Meg) | Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind | Netherlandish Proverbs (mk08) | Landscape with the Temptation of Saint Anthony | Related Artists: Gian Battista ViolaItalian Baroque Era Painter, 1576-1622 Ferdinand LeekeGerman, 1859-1925 GENTILESCHI, OrazioItalian Baroque Era Painter, ca.1563-1639
Although he was eight years older than Caravaggio, he is nevertheless regarded as a Caravaggesque artist, so deeply was his mature style affected by his knowledge of the younger painter's art. His response to Caravaggio was intensely poetic, and none of Caravaggio's many gifted followers produced more beautiful pictures.
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