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Taschen Basic Art
Bruegel
At a time when artists were still primarily occupied with religious or mythological subject matter, the great Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel (c. 1525-1569) turned his eye on the everyday. Most of Bruegel's 45 surviving works, which are all reproduced in this book, record the facts of 16th century life in rural or small town communities. In this title in the Basic Art Series, Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen outline the artist's account of his society and times, and the relevance that account has for us today.
96 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 13, 2021
It’s called basic art for a reason, it skims over the artists works in a very concise 95 pages or so. That does serve a purpose though, as it might intrigue someone who is not too familiar with the artists works to further study them. This is such a great succinct introductory text to the genius of Pieter Bruegel. It covers most of his work, not too much of survived unfortunately. The paintings are so incredibly detailed that this size of book can not possibly show them how they should be seen. It does have certain ‘detail’ pages though, which is where it absolutely shines. These are delightful to examine the million little things going on in a Bruegel.
I recommend whipping out your magnifying glass for this one.
One major caveat is that the binding does not allow the book to lay flat when open so those wonderful two page reproductions lose the central focus of the painting as it disappears into the page curving into the spine.
Also most people who are familiar with his work “the proverbs” have always wondered what all the proverbs are and this books includes a handy numbered guide to each one, all 118 of them!
I recommend whipping out your magnifying glass for this one.
One major caveat is that the binding does not allow the book to lay flat when open so those wonderful two page reproductions lose the central focus of the painting as it disappears into the page curving into the spine.
Also most people who are familiar with his work “the proverbs” have always wondered what all the proverbs are and this books includes a handy numbered guide to each one, all 118 of them!
July 23, 2018
When I was a kid my parents had an art history book that contained pictures of hundreds of famous paintings, but the one painting that kept me coming back to the book, again and again, was The Triumph of Death, by Pieter Bruegel. I was in awe of that painting, and could stare at it for quite a long time. I was drawn to the drama of the picture, to its horror. All those skeletons murdering all those people...
I still love Bruegel. I like the way you can stand back and enjoy his paintings as landscapes, usually imbued with a sense of movement and always using color beautifully. But then you can press your nose right up against them and look at the detail. All those figures, some of them very strange, engaged in every sort of human activity. I much prefer Breugel’s earthy humanity to the etherial perfection of the Italian renaissance.
And I enjoyed this book. The text was helpful and the prints beautifully done. A very nice overview of Breugel and his work.
I still love Bruegel. I like the way you can stand back and enjoy his paintings as landscapes, usually imbued with a sense of movement and always using color beautifully. But then you can press your nose right up against them and look at the detail. All those figures, some of them very strange, engaged in every sort of human activity. I much prefer Breugel’s earthy humanity to the etherial perfection of the Italian renaissance.
And I enjoyed this book. The text was helpful and the prints beautifully done. A very nice overview of Breugel and his work.
June 14, 2019
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1525-1569, is one of the most resourceful and complex painters from Flanders. This book has the complete illustrations of the known paintings by Bruegel as well as some drawings and prints. The text is historical, very informative and it fully expands upon the illustrations with a maximum focus on the life of Bruegel, his historic, political and socio-economic times, and his place in art history. He was a master of the crowd scene, as evidenced by his painting "The Sermon of St. John the Baptist" where the order of the crowd is visually maintained by having most of the crowd clothed in black and their round fleshy heads emerge from this sea of black. The history of Spanish suppression of the Netherlands plays a role in his art and the authors point out that the mysterious man in black that appears in several paintings may be the dreaded Duke of Alba that Spanish king Phillip sent to the lowlands to suppress any religious or political uprising. It is the contrast of black and white that Bruegels uses to maximum effect in many of his paintings. The painting "Massacre of the Innocents" is visually organized in such a way that multiple actions occur throughout the painting as the troops of Herod kill the first born boys of Bethlehem, but the isolation of groups of figures, surrounded by the white snow, is a wonderful visual organizing technique that allows scrutiny of all the horrors and appreciation for the aggregate whole of the painting. The two paintings of the Tower of Babel are included. These are incredible, almost archetypal paintings, of structures in various degrees of completion or ruin. They are visually complex and stunning and the reproductions, though small, are precise. The painting of "Children's Games" is charming and the painting "Netherlandish Proverbs" includes a two page chart identifying 118 different proverbs pictured in the painting. These are charming but were paintings intended to please the viewer. It is some of the darker works that reveals some of Bruegel's genius and mastery. These include "The Fall of the Rebel Angels" where the angels morph into monstrosities as they fall into hell. The painting "Dule Griet (Mad Meg)" is complex nightmare held together by having a strong central female figure striding across the center of the campus surrounded by miniature demons. Bruegel's depth is illustrated in the manner in which he can portray complete nightmare in "The Triumph of Death" and yet produce optimistic realistic life loving reflections of everyday existence in such wonderful glowing works as "The Corn Harvest" and "Haymaking". Bruegel's paintings are haunting. They are images of such strength that they remain with a viewer long after the pages of the book are shut. This edition of his complete paintings is small but comprehensive and it is full of well reproduced images.
July 13, 2018
Another wonderful book in Tashen's series of basic art books. This is a great basic introduction to the artist. I was reading Joseph Koerner's Bosch and Bruegel: From Enemy Painting to Everyday Life https://www.theguardian.com/books/201... and found myself getting more and more intrigued by Bruegel and so picked up this book on sale at a local bookstore to get more background, as Koerner's book is quite dense.
Bruegel--like Bosch-- were such one-offs. Their works were more often than not commissioned and it remains mysterious in some sense since the subject matter of both painters is not what you imagine would be particularly desirable back then. Bruegel, for example, mainly painted peasants. He rarely painted the beautiful human form or the nude, but rather painted human beings as they are. Messy and not always so pretty. His landscapes are sublime and the human beings are always situated right in them as in Chinese landscapes--not the focus as in Renaissance painting but part of the natural landscape itself. Both artists seem shockingly modern. This basic art book is not big on interpretation but rather is a solid introuction to the painter.
Bruegel--like Bosch-- were such one-offs. Their works were more often than not commissioned and it remains mysterious in some sense since the subject matter of both painters is not what you imagine would be particularly desirable back then. Bruegel, for example, mainly painted peasants. He rarely painted the beautiful human form or the nude, but rather painted human beings as they are. Messy and not always so pretty. His landscapes are sublime and the human beings are always situated right in them as in Chinese landscapes--not the focus as in Renaissance painting but part of the natural landscape itself. Both artists seem shockingly modern. This basic art book is not big on interpretation but rather is a solid introuction to the painter.
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January 25, 2025i visited Vienna last may and i immersed myself in the viennese museums. and there i saw most of bruegel’s paintings in person. So this book was a must. I wanted to learn more about his art at my leisure at home.
September 22, 2018
Most interesting.
January 21, 2024
Images are quite good, but I find the text poor, full of religious and political interpretations without solid basis and a lack of true artistic analysis
June 5, 2024
Tratando de entender por qué era uno de los pintores favoritos de Elias Canetti
May 24, 2025
Biju priecīgs, ka man par 10 eiro būs visas Brēgeļa gleznas, bet tās ir nodrukātas tik tumši, ka knapi var kaut ko saskatīt.
February 15, 2017
This is a perfect introduction to the world and work of a trail-blazing and eminent artist who lived during the 16th century. I was first introduced to Bruegel via his painting, Children's Games, while I was in grad school. I was immediately intrigued, and he became one of my favorites. His portraiture of real people and their activities set a direction for the art world that is still in evidence today. My new favorite of his is The Flemish Proverbs, still relevant today. There is a wonderful video about it on Youtube. My interest and appreciation has been aroused again by a course that I have just completed. So much so that I wish I could return to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna where there is a whole gallery devoted to his paintings. I was blown away the first time but now I would have so much more to see and appreciate.
February 16, 2014
Отличная книга про моего любимого художника Питера Брейгеля старшего (есть еще младший и Ян). Автор интересно рассказывает о его работах и времени, при котором жил художник. Интересно, что он умер в 40 лет, но успел оставить такой сильный след в истории искусства. Теперь придется посетить Нидерланды, Бельгию, Австрию и Германию, потому что его немногочисленные работы разбросаны по музеям Европы.
March 25, 2016
Who would have thought Bruegel was a trail blazer bring saints and the holy family down to human level by making them the same size as normal people. By showing man's need to eat just like animals do and by not conforming to the ideals of the Renaissance style.
The illustrations are of high quality and the book as a whole is a nice introduction to the artist and his time
The illustrations are of high quality and the book as a whole is a nice introduction to the artist and his time
December 20, 2007
Northern Renaissance Art. My favorite painter, so I'm biased
February 9, 2016
Good description and coverage of Bruegel's life and paintings. Wish the book was a bit bigger and the pictures larger so that you can see more of the details. Overall a good book.
September 5, 2019
A great introduction to Peter Bruegel's paintings.
February 18, 2020
Knygoje aptariama dauguma tapytojo darbų, tačiau rekomenduočiau studiją tiems, kurie tik pradeda romaną su Bruegeliu.
August 2, 2024
I LOVE YOU BRUEGEL
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews