Jan Brueghel the Elder: A Short Biography

Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625)

Jan Brueghel was born in 1568 in Brussels, Belgium, the son of famous Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Although he was born to a famous artist, his father died when Jan was very young, and so he didn't receive any training in painting from his father. He went to school in Antwerp, Belgium, where he studied under Pieter Goctkind and Gillis van Coninxloo (who was famous for his forest landscapes). He also studied watercolor painting from his grandmother in Italy.

Orpheus in the Underworld (1594)

Jan's painting style developed very independently. He began to use softer shading between objects in his paintings, and brighter hues. It is thought by some that his unique take on high-intensity hues came from his background in watercolor painting. His paintings also took on a "velvet" sheen. He used these techniques to create soft contrasts between inanimate objects and active life. He soon became well-known, and was nick-named "Velvet" Brueghel for both his painting style and his love of velvet clothing. Although his painting style had developed to become very different from his teachers', Jan still painted primarily landscapes in his early years.

Battle of Issus (1602)

As Jan matured as an artist, he began to pursue his unique style further. He expanded into more varying styles of landscapes and townscapes. He introduced characters into landscapes, going against the influence of Gillis van Coninxloo, who had popularized landscapes without people. Most of his surviving paintings are these landscapes and townscapes. He also painted religious art depicting the Garden of Eden, along with other glowing biblical scenes. His "velvet sheen" style made these subjects come to life in a colorful glow that contrasted greatly with the artwork of his peers. It is from these subjects that he was given another nick-name: "Paradise" Brueghel.

Bouquet (1603)

Toward the end of his career, Jan mostly painted still life. He is particularly known for his flower paintings. He gained his last and final nick-name, "Flower" Brueghel, from these paintings. At the time, new varieties of flowers were being introduced into Europe, and these new flowers were a rising fad. Jan used precise arrangements and hues of his bouquets that gave them a glowing, perfect quality reminiscent of his paintings of the Garden of Eden and Paradise. Jan's flower paintings were such a success among the upper class and among other artists that he solidified his reputation as being as talented as his father. It can be said that Jan's painting style was much more influential, though, as he popularized still life and pioneered the use of high-intensity hues to illustrate an abundance of life in his subject.

Jan Brueghel the Elder's family (painted by Peter Paul Ruben)

Jan fell over one day and died of cholera. It was very tragic. His two sons carried on his painting style, but they didn't innovate the style any further. Today we remember Jan Brueghel the Elder for his new way of portraying vitality and perfection through his use of soft, high-intensity hues, and for his love of velvet clothing.

Jan Brueghel the Elder's "Landscape with Windmills"

Landscape with Windmills (1607)

Landscape with Windmills by Jan Brueghel the Elder 1607. 34 × 50 cm. Oil on panel, from the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

SUBJECT: Personal function: aesthetic expression; it possibly also has social function: social description.

SUBJECT MATTER: Flemish farmers hauling their goods along a dirt road close to windmills, nearing a storm.

FORM: Oil on panel, 34 × 50 cm. Heavy use of mid- to high-value earth tones in the foreground, and low-value pale hues in the sky and background. Dynamic, smooth contrasts in the ground and the windmills, and in the figures.

CONTENT:

Detail of the Flemish farmers

Brueghel's Landscape with Windmills mostly uses pale, low-value hues. In the foreground are the farmers and their carts, horses, and a dog. They are carefully outlined and detailed, but they remain relatively small figures in the piece. The shading and attention to detail in the figures is more dramatic than it is in the rest of the painting. We can conclude from this that he views the people in the painting as being important and detail-worthy, but not so important as to be the central idea of the piece. The idea behind it is to show them within their surroundings.

Detail of the windmills and their surroundings

The immediate surroundings are painted with earth tones in a way that makes them appear soft and warm. Brueghel was noted for using this style, in which the environment surrounding characters appeared soft and inviting. It is most likely this reason why he was often called "Velvet" Brueghel. However, like George Costanza, he was noted for his intense love of draping himself in velvet.

Jan Brueghel was a man who loved velvet with a passion

The windmills, although man-made, seem to be a natural extension of the land around them. They appear old and faded, as if they simply grow out of the ground. However, unlike the ground, they appear weak, emphasizing the fragile nature of the old windmills. The only hard contrast that they have is with the sky. Brueghel used this softness to portray the characters as working in relative harmony in their surroundings, which included the land and the windmills.

Detail of the clouds and lightning

The sky is mostly overcast with dark clouds, and it is even possible to see blue, illuminated patches created by lightning. The farmers are traveling in the direction of the storm, and it appears that the storm is also moving toward the left of the painting, set to overcast the figures. This was perhaps used to portray the farmers' lifestyles as being difficult ones, at the mercy of nature. However, in this case, a storm may help their milling.

Note: I think that the images that I used may not be as vibrant as the actual painting. Some of the other versions that I've seen have had more intensity. The image that I found was much sharper and more detailed than the others, though, so I didn't think about it at the time.