Pieter Bruegel

Although he painted landscapes, biblical events and even scenes of otherworldly debauchery reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, 16th-century Flemish painter Bruegel is probably best known for his scenes of peasant farmers laboring in the fields. Today, these masterpieces of Renaissance art are scattered around the world, from Vienna to New Jersey. The Roberts-Joneses (Philippe is a University of Brussels art history professor and Francoise specializes in restoring early Netherlandish paintings) have collected dozens of Bruegel's works (only about 40 paintings and 40 drawings survive, plus some 80 engravings) in a gorgeous volume and paired them with insights into the artist's life and work. They explain nuts and bolts aspects, such as the origins of the linen used in some of Bruegel's paintings, and how the pigments for the paint were crushed and mixed; they also offer deeper explanations of the symbolism behind many of the works. Their descriptions of scenes and paintings lean toward the pleasingly poetic: e.g., of The Harvest, they write,""the powerful, billowing mass of the wheat separates the foreground from the distance, which is lost in a haze of heat."" With over 350 photographs, most in full color, the book is a veritable feast for the eyes and a valuable examination of the artist and his milieu.