In the 16th century, Western art made a distinct shift from religious imagery and portraits of nobility to scenes of everyday life. So why did artists pivot from venerating powerful people and institutions to images of peasants engaged in unremarkable activities like walking, dancing, working and eating? In this video, Evan Puschak (aka the Nerdwriter) takes a brief dive into the economic, religious, cultural and geopolitical forces that led to this aesthetic transformation. In particular, he focuses on the work of the Dutch and Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, whose images of peasant life evolved from satirical and moralising to observational and nonjudgmental over the course of his career.
The Wedding Dance (1566) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Courtesy the Detroit Institute of Arts/Wikipedia
Why European artists shifted their focus from power to peasants in the 16th century
Video by The Nerdwriter
3 August 2023
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