Bruegel
Pieter Brugel’s The Tower of Babel
I thought this work of art easily related to the humanist paintings of the renaissance. This is an easy connection to make because of the religious theme of the painting. Another way this painting is distinctly humanist is the way the architecture of the tower closely resembles that of ancient Roman architecture. There was no listing of where this was painted that I could find, but it is presently located in Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. I love this painting because it seems much brighter than some of the other Renaissance paintings. When I was younger I loved to hear the story of the Tower of Babel, and I think it’s fascinating to see how Bruegel thought the construction of the tower might have gone together.
February 12, 2010 at 3:48 am
I chose this artist too, but a different art piece. This art piece is considered one of his finest and I definately can see why. I like the info you posted on your blog, I strongly agree. Pieter did an amazing job picturing how the tower could’ve looked like. I also liked how he painted the landscape out to where the tower outshines the scenery. Much appreciated on this insight of this art piece.
April 13, 2010 at 9:17 am
Interesting choice, kodiak. I, too, pondering the biblical account when studying this painting. He manages to capture both the granduar of the tower and the desolation in the aftermath while reeling the viewer in for a closer look. Many of his paintings have that draw.
Apparantly Brugel the Elder traveled to Italy soon after his acceptence into the Painter’s Guild in 1551 and is said to have remained 10 years before returning to Antwerp which many consider the backdrop for this painting done in 1563. Afterwards he settled in nearby Brussels, so it was likely painted in one of these two places.
Did you find any commentaries on the people in the lower left corner?