Northern Renaissance
c. 1525-30, Breda, Province of Brabant. His surname is also alternately spelled: "Brueghel" and "Breughel".
Though he was sometimes called "Peasant" Bruegel, due to the common folk with which he populated his genre paintings, Bruegel himself was a sophisticated city-dweller who had traveled to Italy. His seemingly simple scenes of everyday life are full of commentary on the religious controversies of his time. Early works display a wry humor, which veered into sarcasm with age. Even so, the compositions themselves are masterful, and represent some of the best loved land- and townscapes ever created.
- • Children's Games (1560)
- • The Hunters in the Snow (1565)
- • The Harvesters (1565)
- • The Peasant Wedding (c. 1568)
- • The Blind Leading the Blind (1568)
1569, Brussels (then Spanish Netherlands)
See more resources on Pieter Bruegel the Elder by following the links at top right
(Image scan courtesy and copyright of Mark Harden, used with kind permission. Please visit The Artchive for more fine resources.)
