The life and times of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1526/30-1569) were
marked by stark cultural conflict. He witnessed religious wars, the Duke
of Alba's brutal rule as governor of the Netherlands, and the palpable
effects of the Inquisition. To this day, the Flemish artist remains
shrouded in mystery. We know neither where nor exactly when he was born.
But while early scholarship emphasized the vernacular character of his
painting and graphic work, modern research has attached greater
importance to its humanistic content.
Starting out as a print designer for publisher Hieronymus Cock, Bruegel
produced numerous print series that were distributed throughout Europe.
These depicted vices and virtues alongside jolly peasant festivals and
sweeping landscape panoramas. He then increasingly turned to painting,
working for the cultural elite of Antwerp and Brussels. Rather than
idealizing reality, he bravely confronted the issues of his day,
addressing the horrors of religious warfare and taking a critical stand
against the institution of the Church. To this end, Bruegel developed
his own pictorial language of dissidence, lacing innocuous everyday
scenes with subliminal statements in order to escape repercussions.
This book is derived from our XXL monograph, which saw TASCHEN undertake
a comprehensive photographic survey of the artist's oeuvre. The result
boasts exceptional details and reproductions, unveiling Bruegel's
larger-than-life universe with unprecedented clarity. This volume, in
celebration of our 40th anniversary, presents all 40 paintings,
accompanied by enlarged details and accessible, immersive texts.
About the series
TASCHEN is 40! Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in
1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible publishing, helping
bookworms around the world curate their own library of art,
anthropology, and aphrodisia at an unbeatable price. Today we celebrate
40 years of incredible books by staying true to our company credo. The
40 series presents new editions of some of the stars of our program--now
more compact, friendly in price, and still realized with the same
commitment to impeccable production.
