The sense of a scene: Pieter Bruegel s mastery of composition and community The great Flemish painterPieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1526/31-1569) was an astoundingly inventive painter and draftsman, who made his art historical mark withbeautiful, evocative landscapesas well as religious subjects, both notable for theirvernacular languageand attention toeveryday, contemporary life.Immersing himself in rural or small-town communities, Bruegel is particularly notable for his depiction ofpeasant experience and folk culture, earning the artist nickname Peasant Bruegel. Whether hunters shivering in the snow or a boisterous country fair, Bruegelraised the farming, festivals, gatherings, and games of peasant culture to the status of high art. Bruegel s imposing religious and moral subjects, meanwhile, such asThe Triumph of DeathandThe Tower of Babelare as awestriking and influential today as they were in the 16th century, inspiring contemporary culture fromThe Lord of the Ringscinematic battle scenes to Don DeLillo s novelUnderworld.From the corn harvest to the conversion of Saul, from quaint wedding processions to Christ s road to Calvary, this book brings together the rich range of Bruegel s subjects to introduce his powerful compositions of both biblical and earthly tableaux. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN s Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions "