Who was Pieter Bruegel the Elder? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Pieter Bruegel

Died At Age: 44

Family:

children: Jan Brueghel the Elder, Pieter Brueghel the Younger

Born Country: Netherlands

Renaissance Painters Dutch Men

Died on: September 9, 1569

place of death: Brussels, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands (modern-day Belgium)

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1

What is Pieter Bruegel the Elder most famous for?

Pieter Bruegel the Elder is most famous for his detailed and vivid paintings depicting peasant life, landscapes, and religious themes.
2

Where can I see Pieter Bruegel the Elder's artwork?

You can see Pieter Bruegel the Elder's artwork in various museums around the world, including the Louvre in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
3

What are some common themes in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's paintings?

Some common themes in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's paintings include rural life, folklore, proverbs, and biblical stories.
4

How did Pieter Bruegel the Elder influence other artists?

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's innovative compositions and attention to detail influenced many artists who came after him, including Pieter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder.
5

What is the significance of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting "The Tower of Babel?"

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting "The Tower of Babel" is significant for its depiction of the biblical story and its commentary on human ambition and the consequences of hubris.

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Childhood & Early Life

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was born around 1525-30 C.E. in or near Breda, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands. Because he entered the Antwerp painters' guild in 1551, it is inferred that he was born between 1525 and 1530.

Due to the predominance of peasant themes in his works, many early art historians and scholars assumed that he was born into a peasant family. In recent times, however, based on the intellectual content of his work, scholars identify him as a highly educated townsman, friendly with the humanists of the time.

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Career

According to Flemish artist and art historian Karel van Mander, Pieter Bruegel the Elder was the apprentice of famous Antwerp painter Pieter Coecke van Aelst from 1545 to Coecke's death in 1550. Between September 1550 and October 1551, he also assisted Flemish Renaissance painter Peeter Baltens on a now-lost altarpiece, painting the wings in grisaille, after securing the job via Coecke's wife Mayken Verhulst, who was also a painter.

After becoming a free master in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp in 1551, he decided to travel to Italy, possibly via France. He visited Rome and by 1552, took an adventurous trip to Reggio Calabria at the southern tip of the mainland, where he depicted the city in flames after a Turkish raid.

Following a short visit to Sicily, he returned to Rome by 1553 and met the miniaturist Giulio Clovio, who, according to his 1578 will, possessed several paintings by Bruegel. While most of those landscape paintings have been lost, marginal miniatures in manuscripts by Clovio are attributed to Bruegel.

Interestingly, unlike most artists of the time, he only painted landscapes during his trip to Italy, ignoring both classical ruins and contemporary buildings. He left Italy by 1554 and reached Antwerp by 1555, when Hieronymus Cock, the most important print publisher of northern Europe, published 'Large Landscapes', a set of prints to his designs.

He stayed in Antwerp from 1555 to 1563, during which time he worked as a designer for Cock, producing over forty prints for him, even though the first dated print was from 1557. He usually did not work the plates himself, but produced drawings for Cock's specialists to base their work on.

He moved to Brussels in 1563, and produced most of his famous paintings there. His patrons included wealthy Flemish collectors, as well as Cardinal Granvelle, who was in effect the Habsburg chief minister.

Major Works

Pieter Bruegel the Elder produced about sixty-one drawings, mostly designs for prints or landscapes, and designed about forty prints, among which he etched the plate for 'The Rabbit Hunt'. His major drawings include 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus', 'The Fight Between Carnival and Lent', 'The Months', 'The Tower of Babel', 'The Blind Leading the Blind', 'The Peasant Wedding', and 'The Netherlandish Proverbs'.

Family & Personal Life

Pieter Bruegel the Elder married Mayken Coecke, the daughter of his former master Pieter Coecke van Aelst, in the Chapel Church, Brussels in 1563. According to Van Mander, his mother-in-law pushed for the move to Brussels to distance him from his established servant girl mistress.

He had two sons, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder, and a daughter, about whom nothing is known. His sons, both well-known painters, were trained by his mother-in-law as he died prematurely on September 9, 1569 and was buried in the Kapellekerk.

Van Mander mentioned that Bruegel had told his wife to burn some drawings before he died. It is assumed that some of his designs for prints carried inscriptions "which were too sharp or sarcastic", and he did not want his wife to be held responsible for them.

Facts About Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was known for his attention to detail, often including intricate scenes of everyday life in his paintings.

He was one of the first artists to focus on depicting peasant life and rural landscapes, bringing a new perspective to the art world.

Bruegel was a master of capturing the human experience in his works, showcasing a wide range of emotions and interactions in his paintings.

He often incorporated humor and satire into his art, using clever details and visual gags to engage viewers and convey deeper meanings.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Biography

You wanted to know

What is Pieter Bruegel the Elder most famous for?

Where can I see Pieter Bruegel the Elder's artwork?

What are some common themes in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's paintings?

How did Pieter Bruegel the Elder influence other artists?

What is the significance of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting "The Tower of Babel?"