The Dutch Revolt: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

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Pieter Bruegel the Elder is the most exciting (and important) member of the four generations of Bruegel artists working in the southern Netherlands. Picking up on Bosch’s expressive and weird symbolism, but merging with humanist ideas learnt from the south, he created a pioneering style that revolutionized pretty much all aspects of Northern Renaissance art. From his moral parables, and ground-breaking landscapes, to his unforgettable history painting and earthy unsentimental depictions of everyday rituals, this thoroughly dynamic painter ushers in the artists of the Dutch Golden Age.