Who is a Pieter Bruegel?

To trace back to his beginnings, Breugel 1525-69 began as an apprentice in a guild that was run by his father-in-law-to-be, Pieter Coeke van Aelst. After learning the basics and marrying his tutor8217;s daughter Mayken, Bruegel travelled to France, Italy where he was exposed to the Italian Renaissance and Antwerp. It was in Antwerp, that he established himself as a master painter in 1551. The artist chose not to paint the elaborate and divine paintings that characterised Italy but was interested in capturing peasant life. He was even nicknamed, 8216;Peasant Bruegel8217; because of his habit of dressing like a peasant and mingling with them to learn their customs, study their costumes and jot down studies on his note pad, that fueled his large works of art.

Injecting his panoramic vistas with a dash of humour, the artist set a precedent for his sons. Pieter Bruegel the Younger and Jan Bruegel the Elder both inherited their father8217;s legacy though it is said that neither of them were old enough to have studied directly under his tutelage.

It is speculated that perhaps the boys studied under their grandmother Mayken Verhulst, who was also a painter and alive at the time.

Besides his immediate family, Bruegel has inspired artists like Milburn Cherian, who is currently having a solo at Art Musings gallery. If one cannot afford the ticket to Brussels, Belgium or London, to view the great Flemish masters works, mosey over to the gallery to get a taste of what his was like.

Demystify art ,e-mail georgina.maddoxexpressindia.com