Bruegel. The Complete Works

by Jurgen Muller, Thomas Schauerte

The life and times of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1526/30–1569) were marked by stark cultural conflict. He witnessed religious wars, the Duke of Alba’s brutal rule as governor of the Netherlands, and the palpable effects of the Inquisition. To this day, the Flemish artist remains shrouded in mystery. We know neither where nor exactly when he was born. But while early scholarship emphasized the vernacular character of his painting and graphic work, modern research has attached greater importance to its humanistic content. Starting out as a print designer for publisher Hieronymus Cock, Bruegel produced numerous print series that were distributed throughout Europe. These depicted vices and virtues alongside jolly peasant festivals and sweeping landscape panoramas. He would eventually increasingly turn to painting, working for the cultural elite of Antwerp and Brussels. This monograph is a testament to Bruegel’s evolution as an artist, one who bravely confronted the issues of his day all the while proposing new inventions and solutions. Rather than idealizing reality, he addressed the horrors of religious warfare and took a critical stand against the institution of the Church. To this end, he developed his own pictorial language of dissidence, lacing innocuous everyday scenes with subliminal statements in order to escape repercussions. This collection captures all the breadth and splendid detail of Bruegel’s oeuvre like never before, and gathers all 40 paintings, 65 drawings, and 89 engravings in pristine reproductions―each piece a unique witness to both the religious mores and the close-knit folk culture of Bruegel’s time.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

492 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Drew Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant written, with strong analysis of all Bruegel’s major works. The authors write clearly and in depth, going into great details on the iconography and semiotics of Bruegel’s work, contextualizing it in terms of the Flemish culture of the day, the Reformation, and Bruegel’s influences from earlier Flemish painters as well as his legacy on his successors. The section on the development of his drawings was particularly enlightening. The plates are absolutely gorgeous and the enlarged details are carefully and illustratively chosen.

[Ruben de Gruijl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een prachtig kunstboek met fantastische afbeeldingen van al het werk van Bruegel. Geweldig.

[Phil Helsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, the format, the text, and the paintings they choose make you fall in love with this misunderstood genius

[Gabe Thornes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has catapulted Bruegel to the very top of my list of favourite painters. It would be almost impossible to read through this tour of the artist’s many and various works without concluding that he was, in every sense of the phrase, an artistic genius. I had no idea that his pieces were bursting with such allegorical meaning and nuance- indeed, my appreciation of Bruegel’s work prior to this book was one of pure aesthetic admiration. I now see that a vast majority of his paintings were not only visually stunning but were charged with political and theological commentary, some of which taking centuries for art critics to decipher. I found myself relating to the themes which he so tastefully expounds, despite the fact that our lives are separated by some five hundred years. For instance, he clearly felt a severe revulsion for the needless killing of both humans and animals, depicting scenes which, in some cases quite covertly, represent satirical jabs at the religious zealots and autocratic bullies of his age. He was not afraid to level criticism at both the catholic and protestant contingents and can be truly said to have been a man of his convictions. His landscapes, whilst fantastical, are immensely beautiful and anticipate the romantic mountains and valleys that would take form in the works of Friedrich or Constable. What is most fascinating about his work is his ability to couch well known narratives into a contemporary (by his standards) setting. Indeed, the rendering of biblical scenes in an extremely Flemish backdrop never ceases to delight the eye. The author does an excellent job of interpreting the underlying symbolism of the pieces, with an elegant writing style. Five stars.

[Merahnaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Menunggu edisi yang cocok untuk kantong. Sial, sangat ingin yang ini.

[Peter Lipták · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vynikajúce po stránke obsahovej aj po stránke spracovania.