Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Northern European Renaissance (pt. 11)


I said there was an elevation of the middle class during this time.  We see it again with this painting by Pieter Bruegel called the Peasant Wedding, which shows just that.
There is absolutely nothing religious about this painting; it is a scene from everyday life (like Anguissola's Game of Chess).  What's more, this isn't even a painting of aristocrats or rulers; it's a painting of a group of lowly peasants feasting on pies and ale.  No Madonna, no Child, no host of angels; it's just a bunch of unnamed peasants.  This is Realism—not just the realistic style of making figures that look lifelike, but the entire concept of Realism, that art form attempting to present all aspects of life accurately.  Slowly, art will move away from the religious (though never entirely).

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