Bruegel? - a photo on Flickriver

Bruegel?

in LACMA Large

Is This Pieter Bruegel? Anyone has a suggestion?

Peter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569), the famous Flemish painter, is considered the most important Northern painter of the mid-16th century. He established the independence of landscape and genre subjects (scenes of everyday life) from traditional figural painting.

Little is known about Bruegel's life or beliefs. Although he frequently depicted scenes of rustic life, "Peasant Bruegel," as he was known, was not a peasant but a townsman. Unlike his predecessors, Bruegel painted almost entirely for private patrons and produced no surviving works for churches or other public buildings.

Many of Bruegel's paintings have been interpreted as disguised criticism of the harsh Spanish control of the Netherlands. Bruegel was patronized, however, by Cardinal Antoine Perrenot de Granville, advisor to Philip II, and about 1563 he moved from Antwerp to Brussels, the seat of the Spanish government in the Netherlands. Given the sparse and contradictory evidence, Bruegel's political convictions remain unknown. Bruegel probably viewed organized religion as an obstacle between man and God; his “Parable of the Blind”, also known as “The Blind Leading the Blind” may be interpreted as illustrating this idea.

Upon completing his artistic training in 1551, Bruegel travelled to Italy. In spite of the influences of this journey, he continued throughout his life to paint in a manner that was strongly Northern in both subject and style. The journey through the Alps had a more obvious impact on Bruegel's artistic imagination. In a number of his landscapes tall mountains are placed in the backgrounds of his panoramic views while the centers and foregrounds depict typical Netherlandish settings and subjects.

Bruegel's painting style changed considerably during the short span of his career. His early works (until c.1562) are characterized by a multiplicity of small elements, an overall composition, and a bird's-eye perspective. In these paintings Bruegel satirized the sinfulness of humankind.

Two religious paintings, “The Suicide of Saul” (1562) and “The Conversion of St. Paul” exemplify the changes that took place in Bruegel's style during the mid-1560s. These two paintings also show Bruegel's practice of depicting religious subjects as contemporary events. After c.1562, Bruegel's compositions were increasingly concentrated and were often organized along diagonals; the main action was more frequently presented at eye level.

During the last years of his life Bruegel usually painted figures that appear more monumental in scale and closer to the viewer. He steadily reduced his cast of characters to a minimum in order to concentrate the composition on the essentials of the story.

Two of Peter Bruegel's children were painters. Peter ("Hell") Bruegel the Younger (1564-1638), frequently imitated his father's works. Jan I ("Velvet") Bruegel the Elder (1568-1625), the more talented of the two sons, was court painter to the regents of the Southern Netherlands after 1610. Jan I favoured a miniaturistic style. His landscapes, such as “Outskirts of a Village” differ considerably from the panoramic "world views" of his father; their mood, like their spaces, is more intimate. In his life-size flower paintings Jan I created an encyclopedic arrangement of the many individual flowers he studied from life. In his allegorical and religious paintings he occasionally collaborated with Peter Paul Rubens and other painters.

Three of Peter Bruegel the Elder's grandsons were painters : Peter III (1589-1634), son of Peter the Younger; and Ambrosius (1617-1675) and Jan the Younger (1601-1678), both sons of Jan I. Each imitated the work of his father. Five sons of Jan Bruegel the Younger were artists: Jan Peter, Abraham, Filips, Ferdinand, and Jan Baptist. Abraham (1631-1690), a still-life painter, was the most talented. None of these members of the Bruegel family attained the artistic stature of Peter the Elder.

Taken in: United States / California / Los Angeles / Miracle Mile (show map)

Taken on: August 19, 2006

Tags:

art

painting

LACMA

Groups appears in: • Rulez • FlickrCentral more » • Los Angeles • ART DISTRICT • Art Now • Flickr Addicts • !FlickrSoup for Soul • iFlickr • Flickritis: over 87,000 waiting for a vaccine. • Fire Away - Anything artistic as fast as you can • ANYTHING & EVERYTHING PHOTOGRAPHIC / NO SL/AI « less

Camera: Nikon D70, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm (=75mm) (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D70
Aperture:	f/1.8
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	50mm (35mm equivalent: 75mm)
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS2 Macintosh
Show full info

Stats: 6,405 views / 3 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: