NETHERLANDISH PROVERBSPieter Bruegel

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

‣ BORN 1525 IN NETHERLANDS

‣ CAME FROM A FAMILY OF ILLITERATE PEASANTS

‣ MOVES OUT TO PURSUE BEING AN ARTIST

‣ A PAINTER DURING THE NORTHERN RENAISSANCE

‣ DEVELOPED HIS OWN ARTISTIC STYLE WHICH IS PAINTING LANDSCAPES AND PEASANT SCENES

‣ WHEN HE DIED HE WAS FORGOTTEN BECAUSE HE PAINTED REGULAR, EVERYDAY PEOPLE

‣ WAS CONSIDERED UNIMPORTANT FOR A TIME

‣ ALSO CALLED PEASANT BRUEGEL

‣ HIS PAINTINGS DEPICTED THE LIFE OF FLEMISH PEOPLE WHICH MAKES HIM VERY SIGNIFICANT IN THE WORLD OF ART AND HISTORY

CONTEXT

‣ ILLUSTRATES ABOUT 100 PROVERBS & EXPRESSIONS

‣ CONTAINS LITERAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROVERBS OF 16TH CENTURY FLEMISH LIFE (THE REGION OF FLANDERS)

‣ CONVEYS THE UNIVERSAL STUPIDITY OF MAN, A SATIRICAL PAINTING

‣ PROVERBS ARE POPULAR IN FLANDERS DURING THE 16TH CENTURY, PEOPLE LOVED IT

‣ EARLY DEPICTIONS OF PEASANT LIVES

‣ A TYPE OF PROTESTANT ART BECAUSE IT CONTAINS RELIGIOUS SAYINGS/PROVERBS

WHAT IS A PROVERB?

-A TRADITIONAL SHORT WITTY SAYING THAT HAS A DOUBLE MEANING

EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH PROVERBS

1. BEAUTY IS ONLY ______________________

2.THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE _________

3.THE BURNT CHILD ____________________

4.STEP ON A CRACK, _____________________

EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH PROVERBS

1. BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP

2.THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

3.THE BURNT CHILD DREADS THE FIRE

4.STEP ON A CRACK, BREAK YOUR MOTHER’S BACK

“She puts the blue cloak on her husband”

๏ She is deceiving her husband

๏ its called ‘The Blue Cloak’ or ‘The Folly of The World’

๏ blue= cheating & follyred= sin & impudence

๏ The human flaw of deception, sinfulness and unfaithfulness since the woman is shown hiding the fact that she is cheating on her husband

“To be unable to see the sun shine on the water”

๏ To be jealous of another's success

๏ depicts a man searching for sun shine

๏ analysis: conveys the human flaw of envy because the man is jealous of one’s success or ignorance because the man is shown to be looking for the sun shine when its right under him

“To be able to tie even the devil to a pillow”๏ Obstinacy overcomes

everything

๏ “She could even tie the devil to a pillow”

๏ The woman is so obstinate that she can accomplish anything

๏ obstinate= refusing to change your behavior or your ideas or difficult to deal with

๏ anaylysis: the human character of pride because the woman depicted wouldn't stop at nothing to achieve what she wants

“To be a pillar-biter”

๏ depicting a man so intensely pretending to be pious that he embraces a church pillar

๏ a religious hypocrite

๏ an example of a dutch saying that isn’t in use in the modern world today

๏ analysis: the human flaw of hypocrisy because its shown that the man is pretending to be a devout protestent that he bites the pillar

“To have the roof tiled with tarts”

๏ it means to be extremely wealthy

๏ depicts someone wealthy enough to have too many tarts and placed on their roofs

๏ analysis: conveys the human flaw of bragging because they have their tarts out showing their wealth

“To be pissing against the moon(”

๏ To waste one's time on a futile endeavor

๏ analysis: conveying the human flaw of wasting time on activities that are pointless

“To confess to the Devil”(

”

๏ To reveal secrets to one's enemy

๏ analysis: human flaw of distrust and betrayal or selfishness because its depicting a person revealing secrets to one’s enemy

“He beats his head against the wall” or “To bang one's head against a brick wall”

๏ to waste time trying to accomplish something that is completely hopeless

๏ an ambitious idiot

๏ trying to achieve the impossible

๏ an idiom still used today

๏ analysis: the human flaw of pride because he bangs his head on the brick wall when there isn’t much to accomplish

de Rynck, Patrick. How to Read a Painting: Lessons from the Old Masters. Ludion, Ghent

Amsterdam: Abrams Inc. 2004. Print.

Lunday, Elizabeth. “Looking at art: Pieter Breughel’s ‘Netherlandish Proverbs”. Feb 23 2012.

Jan 6 2015<http://www.lunday.com/looking-at-art-pieter-brueghels-netherlandish-notes/“>

“Netherlandish Proverbs (1559)”. Visual Arts Cork. Encyclopedia of Art Education. Jan 16 2015<www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/netherlandish-proverbs.htm>

Stechow, Wolfgang. Bruegel. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Print.

Work Cited