The Hunters in the Snow, 1565, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Kunsthistorisches Museum)
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the 16th-century Flemish painter and printmaker became known as the "peasant Bruegel" because of his extensive focus on the life of ordinary people. However, this master was also steeped in the humanist culture of his era.
Wonderfully inventive, Bruegel gained particular esteem for his images of daily life and naturalistic landscapes. His influence on other painters of the Dutch Golden Age was profound, as well as among later artists. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores the various facets of his creativity that have secured this artist such a special place in our collective memory.
9:30–10:45 a.m. Creating an Artistic Identity
How Ways in which Pieter Bruegel shaped his artistic persona, both as an heir of Hieronymus Bosch’s fantastic imagination and as a painter of the most ordinary of subjects.
11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Bruegel and the Humanists
Connections between Bruegel and some of the most important humanists of Antwerp, including the cartographer Abraham Ortelius and the publisher Christopher Plantin, and how these relationships find reflections in some of his more “learned” works.
12:15–1:15 p.m. Lunch (participants provide their own)
1:15–2:15 p.m. Bruegel’s Prints
Bruegel’s inventiveness in the graphic media, with a focus on the prints that helped spread his fame and influence beyond the boundaries of his country.
2:30–4 p.m. Bruegel’s Legacy
The influence of Pieter Bruegel both on his direct descendants, such as Pieter Bruegel the Younger and Jan Bruegel the Elder, as well as other artists who continued to cultivate self-conscious humility and humor.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
