Behind Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

If you're in Spain, you can already buy the graphic novel What Gods Dream. with a script by a server and illustrations by Eduardo Pichardo, edited by Itineraria Available in prestigious bookstores and in Latin America on Amazon and MercadoLibre. Most of us are confident we know a little about painting. For example, We know that Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa and that the sunflowers were works by a certain Vincent van Gogh, something some may have learned in Doctor Who. And there will be those who can say, without fear of error, that the maids of honor were made by Diego de Velázquez, the very same who looks at us with such arrogance behind his own work. But what about those painters of the past, so mysterious that even Experts wonder how much truth there is in the testimony of its existence? What about those painters who, despite having changed the history of art, Her life slowly but steadily sinks into the depth of the dark sea of oblivion. while his work ascends to the infinite universe of eternity? Today on Behind the Art: What lies behind Pieter Bruegel the Elder? Like so many other masters, Bruegel was born in the Netherlands, although we cannot assert with complete certainty the exact location, since there were two towns called Bruegel or Broegel, one in North Brabant, called Great Breugel, and the other, The Little Breughel, in present-day Belgian Limburg, both not far from Breda. A similar problem arises, with his date of birth estimated between 1525 and 1530, since upon his death, The chronicles of the time indicate that he was in the prime of life. age corresponding to the decade between 35 and 45 years, while their admission as The master in the guild of San Lucas is recorded from 1551, a position to which minors could not gain access. 21 years old. What we know is that his origins were humble, whether his family was engaged in a a poorly paid position, or almost certainly the son of peasants, which would explain Why, once famous, was he nicknamed the peasant or the funny one, due to that sense of humor he had? He attributed to country people the smile, opposing the brutal reality of the 16th century. of which he knows that any day could be his last. We know his signature because he himself left it his surname inscribed in his works, not always in the same way; sometimes he signed Bruegel, and at other times other times he wrote it as it should be pronounced, Bruegel, proof that he was aware of the scope of his work and that on the other side of Europe some king or noble would be pronouncing his last name more clearly. In addition, very little is known about his childhood, Giuchiardini. Vasari and Lamsonius, in their respective texts about the master, avoid discussing his youth and Only an anonymous biography from 1609 ventures to say that he was both ignorant and learned, devoted In the style of comic painting, with such a feat that it would not be surprising if this text had been composed by his rivals or those of his children. However, it is clear that he possessed a certain level of culture already. correspondence with scholars and scientists of his time is well known and highly valued. Regardless of It is to Karel Van Mader and his exquisite revision of the Nordic masters that we owe the majority of our knowledge about the painter. In his text from 1604, he asserts that he was a student of Peter Koch Van Aerst, member of the aforementioned Guild of St. Luke, a powerful organization that monopolized the painting commissions in Antwerp at a time when painters acted as somewhat like a mafia, granting its associates priority in carrying out their projects, with ironclad a hierarchical system to which you could gain access only through an invitation from a member. Once admitted, traveled to Italy between 1551 and 1553, participating in the workshop of a Sicilian master where he painted Battle at the port of Naples, the fall of Icarus, and the suicide of Saul, as well as a good number of drawings of the Alps that later served as the basis for engravings on the theme of the journey extremely popular among his fellow countrymen, perfecting his technique with Giulio Clovio known as the Michelangelo of miniatures and also the master of El Greco. From this journey, Evan Mader goes so far as to say that Bruegel devoured the mountains with voracity. to spit out afterward the rocks in their paintings. No wonder, the landscapes of Bruegel reflect a detailed knowledge of the territory and the depiction of concrete elements, perfectly differentiated from one another, with attention to detail and control from the atmosphere, as had not been seen in that era. Although it also speaks to something else, in a landscape depicting Icarus's fall, for example, the ambitious figure from the classical myth is barely suggested in the composition, one leg protrudes from the water, creating a small ripple around it site of the fall, while in the foreground, a humble character, a peasant, the land will become alien to the event. This will become a constant in the painter, what reveals his profound love for people, above gods and heroes. Bruegel will be the first self-proclaimed painter of humble people, of workers of the earth, from which he himself had originated. Upon his return to Beres, between 1555 and 1563, He established his own workshop next to the church in Hogstrad and associated with the publisher Jerónimo. Scott, sketching preliminary drawings for various engravings, among which one stands out a series about the seven deadly sins, integrating fantastical and grotesque elements inspired by Bosch, probably at the suggestion of Koch, who was aware of the tremendous popularity it had among intellectual circles. A piece of advice that entails a revelation, not just as a commercial gamble, but for what I could learn from flamenco as for the enormous amount of symbolism he integrated into his work, elaborating complex narratives, where small details made all the difference. Change their style and revive ideas from their previous sketches to embellish them with imagery liberated from mimetic responsibility, returning to painting an independent ecosystem the reality where characters, however minor they may be, preserve an individual identity each one on the grand stage prepared by the Creator, who watches from a privileged position what happens in his world. In Antwerp, he frequents a circle of artists headed by the patron Nicholas Young Link, who bought 16 of his works and placed him in contact with the cartographer Abraham Ortelius, with whom he develops a friendship that he will preserve until his death. In 1562, at the request of his future mother-in-law, he moved to Brussels and the The following year she marries Michael van Alst, daughter of her first teacher, by whom she bears her first child. son, Pieter Brueghel, who will be called the Younger, or more dramatically, Brueghel the Elder hell, and to whom we will dedicate our own video shortly. Five years later, a second son, Jan, whom they will nickname the Old Man or Jan of the Mist, who together with his brother, will take up the brushes to carry on the family tradition for decades, although it is necessary mention that it is highly likely they were taught by their grandmother, Meike Emberhuls van Alst, who He was also an artist, as the brothers had been orphaned at a very young age. This period dates back to that time. famous series of the months, created in 1565, consisting of half a dozen panels, each one representing two months of the year referring to the annual cycle of the seasons and activities developed within them. The first, Hunters in the Snow, corresponds to winter and is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful paintings ever created, depicting one of the moments recreational activities in rural areas, where people of all ages, just as they do today, play outdoors A frozen lake, slipping, falling, and stumbling, as the hunters return from his labor. Following it is Día sombrío, dedicated to the end of winter, where the trees still They show the aftermath of the season. The characters are preparing for the carnival festivities. Before Lent. A bad year is foretold on the horizon, and we know that a second painting corresponding to April and May, complemented this pessimism with the fullness of nature. Unfortunately, the work has been lost. To summer belongs *The Blind Girl of León*. which centuries later would influence Milet and her approach to rural life, making it solemn what Bruegel portrays as the daily life of the countryside, demanding hard work from its inhabitants, a palette of golds that continues into Harvest, August, and September, representing the peak of summer, whose vibrant yellows would have made Van Gogh weep centuries later. Autumn is matched by The Return of the Flock, of unparalleled beauty, illustrated with careful attention to Men and animals returning from the field at dusk. The famous cycle copied by others artists, was the result of the commission that the patron Nicolas John Gelling made to Bruegel to decorate the dining room of his villa, creating a frieze that transformed the space into a grand art gallery. In 1562 he painted *The Triumph of Death*, probably commissioned by Vespasiano Gonzaga. trusted man of Philip II, who passed him down to his descendants before being acquired by Isabel of Farnese for the Palace of La Granja and, starting in 1827, passed to the collection from the Prado Museum. The work, framed within the tradition of macabre paintings, presented the battlefield as the planning of a strategist determined to bring it to an end humanity, demonstrating in the process the absurd pretension of wealth and luxury. Brutal as few works are, the piece focuses on details ranging from the dramatic to the absurd and even a breath in the lower right corner of the two lovers singing as if wanting avoid seeing the collapse. Behind them, a skeleton joins at the moment, playing a violin discreetly foretelling the end. This work and others, such as the combat between Don Fleshly and Doña Cuaresma or their representation of the Tower of Babel, brimming with tiny comic details amid the disaster had bent the experts out of shape so much so that even in those times they would spend hours analyzing every centimeter. Bruegel often used these dramatic and significant moments in his works to create narratives. of chained events with their own internal logic, laden with hidden meanings about death and sin, but also of joys and virtues, as in Children's Games, where the innocence of childhood seems to have replaced adult worries, presenting us with a a reconciling image full of hope, grounded in the certainty of final salvation. In 1567, he turned to one of his collectors, Antonio Perrinot de Gran Vela, governor of the Spanish Netherlands, seeking protection from the bloody campaigns of the Duke of Alba, and it is likely that he occupied, at least temporarily, a country house in order to remain unnoticed. A theory that is supported by its meticulous representations of peasant weddings to which, According to Badmother, the painter attended anonymously in order to blend in with the villagers. From this date onward, we know little more about what occurred during his final years. The Documents concerning his life are scarce and questionable, but his paintings give us certainty. overwhelming. At that final stage, the painter decided to change his style once again, replacing the traditional ant hill views with modern representations of giant figures that occupy the majority of the canvas. A striking example of this shift is the Parable of the Blind, a theme originating from the Bible, specifically Matthew 15 verse 14 Take heed, leave them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch. in the hole. Portrayed with complete starkness, perhaps even a touch of cruelty, The characters of exquisite cleanliness continued moving toward disaster among themselves. in a montage that overflows with dynamism without concerning itself with visual logic magnifying the image and enriching it with human expressions, without the inherent idealization from the Renaissance. Around 1569, at just 43 years of age, Bruegel left this world due to causes that We do not know, to be buried in the church of Our Lady of the Chapel in Brussels. It could have been the plague, or anything else, although at the time, dying between the ages of 35 and at fifty years of age, it was the most common lifespan in a context of hunger, wars, and incurable diseases. Two paintings have been proposed as his final work, La Urraca sobre el Cadalzo. a disturbing scene of a party surrounding the platform designated for executions and The Storm at Sea, unfinished, leading experts to believe that the death I would have visited it while it was still fresh, since most of the painting possesses the drawing preparatory work around an isolated segment where color was just beginning to take shape. Upon his death, the value of his work skyrocketed, enabling his children to establish a prosperous market for copies, using the original sketches and cartoons of his father, although It is considered that only about 40 works are attributable to him. Their sons and grandchildren continued the family legacy, shaping a dynasty that persevered through time and space for decades. Painters such as Jos de Montpert, Sébastien Brancs, David Teniers, and Hans Boll continued the tradition of landscapes. seasonal scenes and rural landscapes, as well as historical ones such as those by Rubens or Goya echoes of his moralistic and sometimes grotesque style, which inevitably clung to everyone who came into contact with his work, whose popularity has only continued to grow Throughout all these centuries in which we have revalued his work, it should come as no surprise, Bruegel. In their descriptions of the deep brotherhood among equals, he found his true joy. reconnecting with its origin and remembering the timeless joys of one who loves their land and knows hard work, leaving behind a testimony that was etched as one of the more human gestures than any artist in history has had, making the everyday into true center of the world, the taking of the most humble and placing it before the eyes of God as the most extraordinary thing in the universe. Edited by Itineraria, available in prestigious bookstores and in Latin America on Amazon and Mercado Libre. Free. I thank the members of the channel, as without their support this space would not be possible. Follow me on my social media, subscribe, I upload content weekly and host live streams. Live every Thursday and Sunday. That concludes my part; I am Doctor Francisco. Soriano, I'm sending you a hug, a greeting, stay extraordinary wherever you are You'll be fine, we'll see each other very soon. 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