The Brueghels - Tapa dura

The Brueghels, Pieter the Elder, Pieter Brueghel the Younger (“Hell Brueghel”) and

Jan Brueghel the Elder (“Velvet Brueghel”), embody one of the largest dynasties of Flemish painting. Beyond their history, their masterworks bear witness to the priceless contribution of this family in the evolution of northern European painting.

Refusing the canons of Italian mannerism, the masterworks printed here illustrate the artistic independence of the Brueghels and the Flemish Renaissance. In popular and allegorical scenes, Pieter the Elder and his heirs denounce the daily preoccupations of the people and the general unrest due to the Spanish occupation. In this splendid, richly documented work, the authors, Émile Michel and Victoria Charles, shed new light on Flemish painting from the 15th to the 17th century.

Honorary chairman of the University of Amsterdam, Émile Michel is one of the most eminent specialists of Flemish painting. Indeed, with his writings Rembrandt’s Masterworks and Rubens: His Life, Works and Times, he remains a reference in this domain. His work on the Brueghel family is a brilliant analysis as well as a colourful family portrait.

Victoria Charles received her PhD in art history. She has published extensively on art history and has contributed to Art Information, an international art guide. She is a regular contributor to journals and magazines. She recently contributed to a collective work, 1000 Paintings of Genius.