The First Modern Landscape
The Metropolitan Museum of Art calls this painting a “watershed in the history of Western art”[1] and the “first modern landscape”.[6]. Because of the new humanist lens through which Pieter Bruegel the Elder viewed his world, landscape painting was no longer limited to backgrounds for mythological or religious illustrations.
Who Was Pieter Bruegel the Elder?
The most significant artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525 – 1569) was a painter and printmaker from Brabant. He is known for making landscapes and peasant scenes the focus of large paintings, reflecting the new humanism of the 16th Century.
“Working in the aftermath of the Reformation, Bruegel was able to separate his landscapes from long-standing iconographic tradition, and achieve a contemporary and palpable vision of the natural world.”
J.Wisse 2002
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Sources
- Wisse, Jacob. “Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525–1569).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/brue/hd_brue.htm (October 2002) (Web. Ap. 29, 2018).
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Harvesters, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435809 (Web. Ap 29, 2018).
- MacDonald, Deanna, Great Works of Western Art, “Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters“, http://www.worldsbestpaintings.net/artistsandpaintings/painting/8/, (accessed October 16, 2018). (link broken)
- The Harvesters by Pieter Bruegel the Elder: a family guide from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF) (accessed October 15, 2018).
- Google Arts and Culture, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0h6nl. (Web. Ap. 29, 2018).
- Wikipedia contributors, “Pieter Bruegel the Elder,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder&oldid=864003045 (accessed October 15, 2018).
- Wikipedia contributors, “The Harvesters (painting),” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Harvesters_(painting)&oldid=843924631 (accessed October 15, 2018).
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At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 
I partricularly enjoyed the movie. Thank you so much. 🙂
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I am happy you enjoyed this, Sheila. 😎🌻🙏
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I had a print of ‘The Harvesters’ hanging in my office for many years. I love Bruegel. I also love his collaborations with Rubens which I saw at The Rijksmuseum.
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What a treat to visit the Rijksmuseum, Cindy! I spend many hours on their website and dream of visiting someday. 🌻
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So beautiful.Blue Rock HorsesFrederick County, Virginiabluerockhorses.com
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I am happy you enjoy this, Mitzy. 😎🌻🙏
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“Painting the COMMONERS??? What FOR?!?!?!?…”
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The characters are (of course!) my favorite part of his paintings. 😎🌻❤️
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What a rich image of life in Medieval times.
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I never tire of his paintings. It seems there is always something new to discover in them! 🌻
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Beautiful works
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, pcahyono. 🌻
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I’m missing your posts. Mike
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Thank you for your kind words, Mike. I have missed being here and look forward to catching up with all my favorite blogs. 🌻
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Hello, are you there? ❤
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I am here – grateful to be back! 😊❤️🙏
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