Dance Around the Maypole

For quite some time I've wanted to see a Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting. I think we somehow missed "The Adoration of the Kings" at the National Gallery in London when we visited a couple of years ago. A reason to go back :). Above, is his "Netherlandish Proverbs," done in 1559. Unfortunately, the painting's current home is in a museum in Berlin.

However, the next best thing to seeing a Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting is to see a painting by his eldest son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger. (The original spelling of their last name was with an "h" which the sons retained, but the father dropped at one point in his career.) Pieter Brueghel the Younger was known as a "copyist," copying the style of his father. With a painter like Peter Bruegel for a father, who became known as the best Flemish painter of the 16th century, that seems like it would have been the best way to go! Brady, Erin, and I were able to see "Dance Around the Maypole" at the University of Utah Fine Arts Museum in May. Viewing this painting was pure delight. The vibrant colors in the painting made the scene come alive. My 3-D graphic artist son was impressed with the depth of field the artist captured in the whole scene, but especially in the river as it flowed out of the village to a distant mountain. It's an oil painting done on panel which gave the paint a thinner, more opaque look - a "dainty" feel, compared to the heaviness an oil on canvas can give.
Certainly a treat for the eyes. (Click on the pictures for a larger image.)