Pieter Bruegel, also known as Pieter Bruegel the Elder, was a long term resident of Antwerp, the center of publishing in the Netherlands, and an inventive painter and draftsman who is now considered the most important Flemish painter of the mid-16th century. He was a member of a large and important southern Netherlandish family of artists that were active for four generations in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Due to his family’s trade business and the print industry that developed not long after his work, Bruegel’s impact was widespread and long lasting. Bruegel’s styles of art also changed periodically throughout his life. In his earliest work, Bruegel established the landscapes and scenes of everyday life. The subject matter of Bruegel’s compositions covers an impressively wide range. In addition to the landscapes, Bruegel was known for …show more content…
Triumph of Death was painted by Bruegel around 1562 and depicts the end of all life on Earth. There are two specific narratives enveloped into the painting. The larger narrative depicts Death as a skeleton, riding on a pale horse leading an army of executioners to kill off the masses of humanity. Among the details of this chaotic scene, a second narrative emerges in which individuals representing different casts in life- a king, a cardinal, chess players, a couple, and a knight- are all slaughtered. This shows us that Pieter Bruegel knew very well that death does not discriminate among anyone. Death’s horrors, similar to the visions presented in Bruegel’s Triumph, were familiar to the citizens of Antwerp during the mid-century. During this time, religious wars amongst the Spanish ended the time of peace and prosperity of the southern Netherlands. Triumph of Death was very much intended to prompt viewers to consider their values in their lifetime and consider what might