Little is known about the life of the Dutchman Pieter Bruegel the Elder; the key source of information about him is the 1604 book written by Karel Van Mander. About forty paintings and six dozen prints by Bruegel the Elder have survived to this day. His work can be called original, although sometimes the influence of other Dutch masters can be traced here.
Painting training, first engravings and acquaintance with the work of Bosch
Where and when Bruegel the Elder was born is not known for certain. Most researchers believe that this happened around 1525 in one of the Dutch provinces. There is practically no information about his family, about who his parents were.
From the mid-forties, Bruegel studied graphics in Antwerp, in the workshop of Peter Cook van Aelst, the court painter of Charles V of Habsburg. Bruegel was involved in this workshop until 1550, that is, until the death of the teacher.
In 1551, Bruegel was admitted to the Antwerp Guild of Painters. In the same year, he got a job at the workshop of Jerome Kok "Four Winds". Jerome Kok was engaged in printing and selling prints, and, apparently, made good money on this. It is known that engravings "Donkey at school" and "Big fish eat small ones" were made here based on Bruegel's black-and-white drawings.
Once, in The Four Winds, Bruegel the Elder saw prints (prints) from the canvases of the famous medieval surrealist Bosch, and they made a huge impression on him. Soon he even painted his own variations on the subjects depicted on these prints.
"The Fall of Icarus" and other important canvases
In 1557, Bruegel created a series of prints dedicated to the seven deadly sins. And in 1558 he finished work on the painting "The Fall of Icarus". This stunning canvas shows the tragedy of the ancient hero Icarus as something everyday. It seems that no one notices her: the plowman, fisherman and shepherd boy are busy with their usual affairs.
In 1563, Bruegel married the daughter of the late teacher Van Aelst, Meiken, and in the same year he moved with her to the city of Brussels. Meiken later gave birth to one daughter and two sons from her husband - Peter (Younger) and Jan. Both of them, when they grew up, also began to paint professionally.
In 1564, Bruegel the Elder created the paintings "Adoration of the Magi" and "Portrait of an Old Woman" (and this is the only portrait in the entire heritage of Bruegel, he did not paint them to order, according to the researchers of his biography). And in 1565, a cycle of six magnificent paintings "The Seasons" appears. This cycle includes the canvases “Gloomy Day. Spring”,“Return of the Herds. Autumn”,“Haymaking”,“Hunters in the Snow”,“Harvesting. Summer". Unfortunately, the sixth painting has not survived to our times.
All pictures included in the cycle have the same format. Most likely, they were ordered for himself by a wealthy Antwerp merchant named Jongelink. Then the merchant had some problems and, in need of a cash loan, he pledged these masterpieces, but he could not redeem them back.
Years under Spanish rule and death
Bruegel the Elder was about forty years old when the troops of the Duke of Alba entered Brussels in triumph. This duke became famous for his incredible cruelty towards the local population. Over the next few years, the Spanish inquisitors under the leadership of Alba executed (as a rule, only denunciations and rumors were enough to be hanged) several thousand Dutch.
It turns out that Bruegel the Elder lived his last years in an atmosphere of fear and terror. And this was reflected in his later works, for example, in the work "The Magpie on the Gallows". It is believed that the gallows here is associated precisely with the terrible Spanish rule. And in general, the paintings of this period are permeated with pessimistic sentiments.
The exact date of Bruegel's death (he died, most likely, from some kind of illness) is known - September 5, 1569. The genius artist was buried in the Brussels Gothic church with the beautiful name of Notre Dame de la Chapelle.
