"The Parable of the Blind" by Peter Brueghel

Art historians believe that the Northern Renaissance is in no way inferior to the Italian. It was completely different in spirit and incarnation, but its artistic value does not decrease from this. The outstanding figure of this era was Peter Brueghel. "The Parable of the Blind" is one of his best works.

Northern Renaissance

This term covers all the art of the XV century, developing outside of Italy, which was the birthplace of the classical High Renaissance. To the north belong both France and England, but when speaking of painting, as a rule, they remember the Netherlands and Germany. It was here that Albrecht Durer, Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck and, of course, Peter Bruegel with his sons worked.

In the painting of the times of the Northern Renaissance, there is a clear connection with Gothic art, folk art and mythology. The letter is detailed and detailed. Unlike Italy, in the North there is still no humanistic secular worldview. Artists do not turn to the classical heritage of antiquity and the study of anatomy for a more reliable image of the human body. In addition, there is a significant influence of the church on art. If the picture does not directly portray the biblical story, then it clearly traces the Christian allegory.

Biography of Brueghel

Bruegeli is a whole dynasty. Painting was not only his father, Peter Bruegel himself. Widely known and the work of his sons - Jan Brueghel and Peter Brueghel, Jr.. They not only wrote their pictures, but also made quite a few copies of their father's works.

Senior Bruegel was born in the Netherlands city of Breda in the early 16th century. He began his career as a graphic artist, then studied painting with court master Cook van Alst in Antwerp. In the 1950s, like many European artists, he made an "educational" trip to Italy. On the way I visited Switzerland and France and wrote several landscapes. Sunny Italy impressed Bruegel not only with its beautiful nature, but also with monuments of classical art. Critics agree that the old Italian masters had a great influence on the work of the young artist.

After the journey, Brueghel continues to work in Antwerp and marries the daughter of his mentor, Maria. In 1963, the family moved to Brussels, where the artist will remain until the end of his days. Brueghel brushes are credited with forty-five paintings. Of these, more than thirty represent nature, rural life and sketches from the life of village residents. The artist did not accept orders for portraits, only one of his works in this genre is known - "The Head of a Peasant Woman". If in the early works of Bruegel, the figures of people are small and insignificant in comparison with the surrounding landscape, then in the later one there is a growing interest in the depiction of human figures. In these paintings, people are written out large, faces are depicted expressively, they are easy to read emotions. These works include "Cripples", "Peasant and destroyer of nests" and, of course, "Parable of the Blind".

"The Parable of the Blind." Peter Brueghel

Painting Brueghel - not the only story in the art on the topic of the blind. The image of the blind was firmly established in mythology as an allegory of ignorance, intolerance to someone else's opinion, blinded consciousness. But at the same time, often the blind person acts as the personification of faith (not in vain, it is often called blind). So, even in the Bible there is a parable about the blind Bartimaeus. Man attains sight through his unlimited faith. The ancient Indian story "The Blind and the Elephant" is widely known. The parable tells of three people who were given to touch the various parts of the elephant's body, on the basis of which each rendered a verdict of what the animal looks like, and each of them was not right. The work of Brueghel, according to the generally accepted interpretation, is based on the biblical lines: "If a blind man leads a blind man, they both fall into a pit." In the picture, we see a literal illustration of this.

On the background of a serene rural landscape, a procession of six men marches. They are not well-dressed, on the chest of one of them is a cross, as a symbol of hope in God. The blind are moving along the dam, but do not notice how the road makes a turn. And their leader, stumbling, falls into the water. The second man, unable to resist, flies after him. The third one still does not understand what is happening, but his position is already unstable. The latter do not yet know about the prepared fate, but all of them will inevitably find themselves in the water, because the blind, following the blind, is doomed.

Interpretation

To understand what Braigel's "Parable of the Blind" says, one must not lose sight of the cultural and historical context in which this picture was created. In the last years of the artist's life, his native Netherlands was occupied by the Spaniards under the leadership of the Duke of Alba. Under the pretext of the destruction of heretics, thousands of ordinary people were tortured and killed. Terror and lawlessness reigned in the country. The riots and speeches that have begun have quickly come to naught. Like the whole people, the artist was seized by despair, and this hopelessness took on the fullest expression in his film The Parable of the Blind.

This work is an allegorical protest and appeal to the whole world. Where will the blind humanity come? By what right does the blind lead the blind? Blindness here is not only a physical injury, but a poverty of the spirit. All the canvas screams that it is not too late to stop and try, finally, to open your eyes. Probably, as long as mankind exists, this call will still be relevant.

Composition and color

The composition of the picture is arranged diagonally. And the dynamics and tension increase along the line, visually separating the picture. The landscape is static and serene, there are no extraneous figures of people and animals. Only imperturbable nature is the witness of the drama that is being played out, which, in comparison with eternity, is just an insignificant episode. In the direction from the hillock, underlined by the pointed roofs of Dutch houses, the blind are moving. The failure to the right appears as a counterpoint to the hill.

The lifeless dry silhouette of the tree in the left part of the picture repeats the bends of the body of the last man. If the last figures still move smoothly, then along the diagonal, the dynamics and tension increase. Each subsequent figure is already more unstable and more despair and dull horror is read on their faces. We completely do not see faces of the first blind man, he is already immersed in water. But his figure expresses helplessness and despair.

The idea and composition is emphasized by the color of the picture. For a gloomy plot, the artist picked up soft, subdued tones. The landscape is dominated by a strongly muffled ocher, dusty greens. The low gloomy sky is made in shades of gray. There is not a single lumen between the clouds. Clothes of the blind are the same faded tones, as the surrounding nature - all the same palette of gray. The artist managed to emphasize the color of the dynamic diagonal. Voltage increases with color. The deaf cloaks of the last two men are executed in the most calm and dark shades. At the cliff, flash flashes of dazzling white stockings and caps, flashed by the dirty white cloak of the third blind. The clothes of the brightest colors - red, green, orange - were awarded by the guide's guide, who had so ingloriously ended his path. Bright clinging clay shines at the cliff.

This painting is one of the last and most famous works of Peter Brueghel. In this work he showed himself to be a mature artist. The skillful technique of writing and the masterful use of pictorial techniques are combined here with drama and the depth of the plot.