The Northern Renaissance

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca.1525-1569)
  • Humanism
    • one-point linear perspective used to create illusionary space and genres, including frontal portraiture, self-portraiture, and landscape\
    • Artwork of this form is a valued representation of human life, granting passage through the ills and beauties of human nature.
  • Northern Renaissance/Renaissance (general)
    • An artistic revolution that mainly benefited the wealthier, higher-class families and individuals in Nothern Europe at the time.
    • Created a foundation for Western culture
    • Humanist works were centered around representing an individual in relation to their surroundings or other story-telling methods that observed a scene rather than a standalone person
  • Pieter Bruegel was a very famous artist for his time (post-reformation)
    • Produced art that told many stories, from commoners to proverbs and mythology
    • Created multiple sets of paintings and illustrations that focused on a particular subject matter, such as the seasons.
The Harvesters (1565)  By Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Elements:
  • Mannerism
  • Humanism
  • Free-flow writing:
    • The vastness of the scene is farse; this image is created solely by imagination. It is unlike the plains the artist knew from their homeland. 
    • The workers are in various positions, stances, motions, and movements. The painting feels alive. I can feel the sun's heat, the grain's coarseness, and hear the slice of the scythe. There are voices chatting, persons cooling their hot, sun-baked flesh beneath the shade of a sparse tree. This warm, hazy landscape slips further out, going far beyond the traditional landscape in earlier works.
    • A great deal of perspective and space account for the overall look and feel of the painting. The painting would be far less powerful and impressive if the rolling hills and far seaport were swapped for blue skies and a shed (as an example.)
    • This painting continues to surprise me with hidden structures and elements. There is so much information that the viewer could easily stare at the image for hours, discovering new elements and stories as they look closer.
    • Bruegel emphasized the style of humanism by using the pioneering abilities of humans to showcase how vastly we change the environment in which we live.
      • " Bruegel’s emphasis is not on the labors that mark each season but on the atmosphere and transformation of the landscape itself" - Jacob Wisse
Resources:



DiPalma, Jessica and Thomas, Greg "Pieter Bruegel the Elder Artist Overview and Analysis" TheArtStory.org https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bruegel-the-elder-pieter/
30 Jul 2018. Updated and modified regularly
[Accessed 19 Jun 2024]


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