Painting Classics: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

We continue our journey into the history of art, with a collection of paintings by one of the greatest Flemish painters, Pieter Bruegel the Elder or, how he was know in his time “Peasant Bruegel” (he lived during 1525-69).

1563 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Tower of Babel, on wood, 114x155 cm

Pieter Bruegel, the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, is by far the most important member of the family. His nickname “Peasant Bruegel” points to the usual subjects of his paintings: Flemish proverbs, peasant life, genre scenes of village and town life, popular Biblical scenes and religious and mythological allegories.

1565 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Hunters in the Snow, Winter, Detail hunters

Bruegel’s art is often seen as the last phase in the development of a long tradition of Netherlandish painting beginning with Jan van Eyck in the 15th century. This tradition transformed the abstraction of medieval art into a more empirical view of reality.

1559 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, on wood, 118x164,5 cm

Bruegel clearly rejected the influences of Italian Renaissance art and its classical foundations, which dominated the work of many of his Flemish contemporaries. Rather than mythological subjects, muscular nudes, and idealized scenes, Bruegel’s art portrays figures observed from nature, acting out realistic situations in believable contemporary settings.

1560 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Sets of Children, on wood, 118x161 cm

This collection is by no means a complete one, but it is sufficient to give you a taste of one of the greatest painters. Enjoy!

1560 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Sets of Children, Detail the sleeper

1560 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Sets of Children, Detail jumps sheep and tournament,

1562 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Suicide of Saul, on wood, 33,5x55 cm

1562 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Suicide of Saul, Detail promontory

1563 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Tower of Babel, Detail the work of the workmen

1563 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Tower of Babel, Detail ships in the port

1564 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Procession to Calvary, on wood, 124x170cm

1564 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Procession to Calvary, Detail the cart

1565 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Gloomy Day, beginning of Spring, on wood, 118x163 cm

1567 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Conversion of Saint Paul, on wood, 108x156 cm

1568 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Peasant Dance, on wood, 114x164 cm

1568 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Peasant Wedding, on wood, 114x164 cm

1568 Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Peasant and the Birdnester, on wood, 59,3x68,3 cm

1572 Portrait of Pieter Bruegel the Elder by Hondius