Pieter Bruegel
Pieter Bruegel the Elder or Pieter Brueghel was a Flemish Renaissance painter born around 1525. He is nicknamed Peasant Brueghel, and from 1559 dropped the ‘h’ from his name when signing paintings so as to differentiate himself from other members of the Breughel family. His sons, Pieter Breughel the Younger and Jan Breughel the Elder both went on to become painters but since their father died when they were still children they never received training from him.
Pieter Bruegel became a master in the Antwerp painters’ guild in 1551 and travelled to Italy shortly afterwards, returning to Antwerp for 10 years before eventually settling in Brussels. His artistic style was uncomplicated and in this way distinguished his work from the popular Italian art of the time. The Dutch master Hieronymus Bosch appears to be his most notable influence, particularly in early paintings like The Triumph of Death (c.1562) and Dulle Griet.
Pieter Bruegel's main illustrations were peasant scenes and landscapes, the latter of which was considered to be a pioneering concept in Western art since this normally formed the backdrop to a religious scene rather than being used to represent the art subject itself. It was also unusual in art to pay such particular attention to peasant lifestyle and folk culture. The village interaction depicted in Children’s Games, as well as the rustic scenes of Peasant Wedding (1568), The Beggars (1568), and Peasant and Birdnester (1568) all provide a fundamental insight to 16th century life. Furthermore, his winter landscapes of 1565 are widely accepted as documented evidence of the harsh winter conditions during the Little Ice Age. With Fight Between Carnival and Lent (a satire depicting the discord of the Reformation), Breughel produced one of the first paintings of intense social protest in art history. Pieter Bruegel is believed to have told his wife on his deathbed to destroy some of his most dissident works, so as to guard the family against possible political persecution.
