Art Appreciation – February/March 2024

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

In February, Michael Heyden gave a presentation on the much-loved artist, Pieter Bruegel the Elder.  He was born sometime between 1525 and 1530, and we first learn of him as a member of the painters guild in Antwerp in 1551.  He soon established himself as one of the leading painters and print makers in the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance.

He travelled to Italy and was clearly strongly influenced not only by the art he saw there, but also by what must have seemed to a young man brought up in the Netherlands as extraordinary, the dramatic landscapes of the Alps and Italy.  These become a major feature of his work.

He grew up in the protestant society of the Dutch Republic when religious subjects were no longer the staple of an artist’s repertoire, and the church was not commissioning much art.  However, some of his most famous works are of religious subjects but treated in his own distinctive style where often the main subject does not physically dominate the scene.

In his early career he was a prolific designer of prints which were commercially very successful.

His subjects were varied, and included classical stories such as Icarus, and many fables which obviously had wide appeal at the time.

Many of us know him for his landscapes and peasant paintings which portray everyday life in town and country, in great detail and often with much humour.  They are usually filled with a great many people going about all manner of occupations and recreations.  Bruegel’s paintings show towns, villages and buildings in impressive detail, but his views of the landscape are often of mountains and forests, far removed from his native land.

Some of his most extraordinary paintings are reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, with images of fantastic creatures and apocalyptic scenes.

At our March meeting Keith Feltham will be showing and talking about some of his own paintings and artistic development.

Lynne Vick, Convenor