Northern European Renaissance Art, Artists, Painting, Artists, Architects & Craftsmen - Biography, Art Study & Teaching, Benelux Art

Pieter Bruegel

Name: Pieter Bruegel
Author: John Malam
ISBN: 9781575053660

by John Malam

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Overview

Pieter Bruegel is famous for his paintings of Holland in the 1500s. Unlike many artists at that time, Bruegel painted common people going about their daily lives. Some of his paintings show peasants dancing or working in the fields, others tell a story with a moral. Many of the details of Bruegel's life remain a mystery, but his paintings help us to see his world through his eyes. Original illustrations and paintings, combined with John Malam's clear, lively text, bring the world of Pieter Bruegel to life.

Briefly examines the life and work of the sixteenth-century Flemish painter, describing and giving examples of his art.

Synopsis

Children's Literature

A British import in the "Tell Me About" series, Bruegel is a welcome introduction to Netherlandish art. A chronology and glossary of artistic terms are appended to the brief biography of what little is known about the painter's life. What speaks--and should be a revelation to youngsters--are the paintings themselves. They are infinitely more intricate than Where's Waldo, and close inspection (perhaps with a magnifying glass, as the reproductions are small) could provide hours of speculation.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

A British import in the "Tell Me About" series, Bruegel is a welcome introduction to Netherlandish art. A chronology and glossary of artistic terms are appended to the brief biography of what little is known about the painter's life. What speaks--and should be a revelation to youngsters--are the paintings themselves. They are infinitely more intricate than Where's Waldo, and close inspection perhaps with a magnifying glass, as the reproductions are small could provide hours of speculation.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-In each of these volumes, the clear, precise text is accompanied by relevant illustrations and portraits. Sufficient factual information is offered so readers meet the artists in their historic and cultural milieu and develop a sense of appreciation for their ideas and masterpieces. The author also relates stories from the subjects' lives that would be especially interesting to youngsters. He writes of Leonardo da Vinci's picture of a dragon "...that was so realistic it scared his father," and of his habit of writing backwards. Of Pieter Bruegel, he notes that the artist was said to enjoy frightening "...people, even his own pupils, with all kinds of spooks and uncanny noises." Artwork includes full-color and black-and-white reproductions and photographs.-Patricia Mahoney Brown, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Kenmore, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Cursory coverage of Bruegel's paintings, with reproductions that leave readers squinting at the details. This Tell Me About overview of Bruegel's life and art doesn't dwell on him; too much of his life•year of birth, appearance, parentage, his childhood•is unknown. Instead, Malam includes information about Bruegel's travels, his sons, and tidbits about him recorded by his contemporaries. He also turns to the paintings, explaining that they provide a view of 16th-century Holland. There are many small reproductions, and the color is quite good, but the details mentioned in the text are often so tiny that they are hard to find in the paintings. Nils Jockel's Pieter Bruegel's Tower of Babel (1998), though it concentrates on a single painting, is better written, and has larger reproductions. Richard Mühlberger's What Makes a Bruegel a Bruegel? (1993) provides a similar overview for a slightly older audience, which may make it more usable in the long run. (glossary, index) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)