Bruegel in Detail

The perfect companion for the Bruegel year of 2019: an introduction to the famous painter through stunning large close-up details in a beautiful coffee table book.

Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525–1569), known for his beautiful landscapes and peasant scenes, is among the most popular artists in the history of Netherlandish painting. Reproducing all of Bruegel’s best-known paintings, drawings and prints, this book reveals them as never before, in stunning large close-up details that showcase his mastery. Organized by his major themes – landscapes, daily life, biblical subjects and festive celebrations – it offers astonishing views of popular works of art such as Hunters in the Snow, Peasant Wedding and The Tower of Babel. The printings and drawings section includes his series on Sins and Virtues. Bruegel expert Manfred Sellink reveals how the painter introduced new subject matter into fine art and examines his use of landscape, perhaps the artist’s greatest innovation.

Pieter Bruegel invites us to study and to admire his work down to the tiniest element. He was a trained and experienced miniaturist, draughtsman and print designer: skills that combined with his brilliant painting technique enable us to read every image and every detail. Bruegel created a world of unprecedented visual richness: it is impossible to take in everything at once, as there is so much to see. Even experts who have studied his work for years are continually surprised by new discoveries. Alongside this rich viewing experience, Bruegel always offers layers of visual and intellectual meaning, expressed most clearly in the details. Not to forget the equally characteristic dollop of humour we find in the subtle and ironic way he approaches his fellow human beings and their universal and timeless foibles. Bruegel in Detail homes in on the extraordinary visual, technical and intellectual wealth of this master’s work. Every detail in Bruegel is packed with significance and relevance.