The paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder offer a glimpse into the world of the 16th-century Netherlands, a world of peasants and berghers, of civic and religious life. How did viewers in Bruegel’s own day look at his art? In order to offer 21st-century eyes something of the experience of a 16th-century viewer, this book takes an in-depth look at a single painting by the great Flemish artist, his Netherlandish Proverbs of 1559.
Bruegel’s painting is a collection of over 100 proverbs, each acted out in a single-minded manner by peasants, berghers, monks, inn-keepers, and others. In order to understand what a viewer of the time might have perceived when viewing this image, this book begins by looking closely at Bruegel’s composition. From this starting point, the author offers insights into how proverbs were used and understood in the 16th century and into period models for organizaing collections. Lastly, the author turns to discussions of Bruegel by his contemporaries, and the instights these give us into the viewing of this and other of his paintings.
