Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1526–1569) was the preeminent artist of the Dutch & Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes, executed on large canvases. His most revered and recognized painting is arguably The Tower Of Babel.

This 512 paged hardcover book is a smaller version of Taschen’s XXL monograph Bruegel : The Complete Works. While clearing lacking in print size as compared to the bigger edition, the re-productions featured in this book are still of exceptional clarity and crispness, derived from the same source of Taschen’s comprehensive photographic survey of the artist’s oeuvre. Further to that, many sectional, enlarged reproductions of Bruegel’s big paintings are included, allowing for detailed, comprehensive studies of his intricate art work.

Bruegel is a particularly fascinating artist and painter to me, because his large scale “peasant” paintings tell a thousand little stories within the same canvas, and I take great delight in exploring all the small details he has painstakingly painted. His more phantasmagorical pieces like The Fall of the Rebel Angels ( the top image of this post ) feature grotesquely imaginative nightmare creatures not unlike the work of another great Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. Really, I’m a big fan, and this book delivers in droves.

(above and below ) One of three Tower Of Babel paintings by Bruegel; I was fortunate to see the original at this 2017 exhibition in Tokyo. The museum even commissioned famed manga/anime director Katsuhiro Otomo ( Akira ) to illustrate the imagined interior of the tower.

This “mini” edition of Taschen’s XXL monograph Bruegel : The Complete Works may not be as dramatic in presentation as its bigger brethren, but still packs a very big punch without breaking the bank. The compact size is very ideal for a quick browse and reference, and is easy to carry around as well. My wholehearted recommendations.

“Bruegel – The Complete Paintings Art Book” details :

– Dimensions – 6.4 x 1.7 x 8.8 inches
– Hardcover, 512 pages
– Full color

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