Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Pieter Bruegel, the Elder
- Pieter Bruegel, the Elder - Artistic evolution and affinities of Pieter Bruegel, the Elder
- Renaissance - Artistic developments and the emergence of Florence
- 8 Extraordinary Paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna - Hunters in the Snow (1565)
- Western painting - Low Countries
- Pieter Bruegel, the Elder - Life
How did Raphael’s art influence Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s paintings of 1564 and 1565?
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Pieter Bruegel, the Elder
Peasant Dance, oil on wood by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1568; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
In 1564 and 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s artistic style underwent a notable shift under the influence of Italian art, particularly that of Raphael. During this period, Bruegel drastically reduced the number of figures in his compositions. Unlike his earlier works, which often featured large, loosely disposed crowds, these paintings placed a few, larger figures closely together within a very narrow space.1
This stylistic adjustment marked a temporary departure from his typical multifigure scenes. However, this influence was short-lived; by 1565, Bruegel returned to his focus on landscape with his celebrated series, the Labours of the Months, in which he subordinated the figures to the grand lines of the natural environment.1