Bruegel the Elder was a new painter to me this year, one that we studied as part of our Ambleside learning guidelines. At first glance, I though that his paintings would be dark and boring, but as I began to study him, his culture, and the dangerous times in which he lived, his paintings became more and more fascinating to me. Of course, the material itself was never boring. In reality, they're quite intriguing and often bizarre, with layers and layers of meanings and hidden messages.You can read more about Bruegel the Elder here, and if you like what you read, be sure to pick up Michael Frayn's book, Headlong, a British comedic novel about a man who believes he finds a lost Bruegel painting and what he will do to get his hands on it. The novel features a lot of interesting historical background on Bruegel's culture and art itself.
