Art historians believe that the Northern Renaissance is in no way inferior to Italian. It was completely different in its spirit and embodiment, but its artistic value does not become less from this. An outstanding figure of this era was Peter Bruegel. 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. France and England are attributed to the North, but, speaking of painting, as a rule, the Netherlands and Germany are remembered. It was here that Albrecht Dürer, Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck and, of course, Peter Bruegel and his sons worked.
In the paintings of the Northern Renaissance, there is a clear connection with Gothic, folk art and mythology. The letter is detailed and detailed. Unlike Italy, in the North there is 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 depict the biblical plot, then Christian allegories are clearly traced in it.
Brueghel Biography
Bruegels are a whole dynasty. Not only his father, Peter Bruegel himself was engaged in painting. The works of his sons, Jan Brueghel and Peter Bruegel the Younger, are widely known. They not only painted their paintings, but also made quite a few copies of their father's works.
The elder Bruegel was born in the Dutch city of Breda at the beginning of the 16th century. He began his career as a graphic artist, then studied painting with the court master Cook van Alst in Antwerp. In the 50s, he, like many European artists, made an “educational” trip to Italy. On the way I visited Switzerland and France and painted 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 trip, 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. Bruegel's brushes are attributed to forty-five paintings. Of these, more than thirty depict nature, rural life, and scenes from the life of villagers. 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 figures of people are small and insignificant in comparison with the surrounding landscape, then in the late there is a growing interest in the depiction of human figures. In these paintings, people are painted large, faces are depicted expressively, emotions are easily read on them. These works include Cripples, The Peasant and the Destroyer of Nests, and, of course, The Parable of the Blind.
"The Parable of the Blind." Peter Bruegel
Bruegel's painting is not the only plot in art on the topic of the blind. The image of the blind man has been firmly established in mythology as an allegory of ignorance, intolerance of others' opinions, and blinded consciousness. But at the same time, often the blind man acts as the personification of faith (it is not for nothing that it is often called blind). So, even in the Bible there is a parable about the blind Bartimaeus. A person gains vision through his boundless faith. The ancient Indian story “The Blind and the Elephant” is widely known. The parable tells of three people who were allowed to touch various parts of the body of an elephant, on the basis of which everyone delivered a verdict on how the animal looked, and each of them was wrong. Bruegel's work, according to the generally accepted interpretation, is based on the biblical lines: "If a blind man leads a blind man, then both of them will fall into the pit." In the picture we see a literal illustration of this.
Against the background of a serene rural landscape, a procession of six men marches. They are not richly dressed, on the chest of one of them is a cross, as a symbol of hope in God. Blind people move along the dam, but do not notice how the road makes a turn. And then their leader, having stumbled, falls into the water. The second man, unable to resist, flies after him. The third does not yet understand what is happening, but his position is already unstable. The latter do not yet know the fate prepared for, but all of them will inevitably end up in the water, for the blind, following the blind, is doomed.
Interpretation
To understand what Bruegel’s “Parable of the Blind” speaks of, 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 were 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 performances that had begun quickly faded away. Like all the people, the artist was overcome by despair, and this hopelessness found its fullest expression in his painting “The Parable of the Blind”.
This work is an allegorical protest and appeal to the whole world. Where will blind humanity come from? By what right of the blind does the blind lead? Blindness here is not only a physical mutilation, but also a poverty of the spirit. The whole canvas screams that it is not too late to stop and try, finally, to open your eyes. It is likely that as long as humanity exists, this call will still be relevant.
Composition and coloring
The composition of the picture is built diagonally. Moreover, the dynamics and tension increase along the line visually dividing the picture. The landscape is static and serene, there are no extraneous figures of people and animals. Only equanimous nature is the witness of a drama, which, in comparison with eternity, is just an insignificant episode. In the direction from the hillock, underlined by the gabled roofs of Dutch houses, the blind move. The failure on the right acts as a counterpoint to the hill.
The lifeless dry silhouette of a tree on the left side of the picture repeats the bends of the body of the last man. If the last figures are still moving quietly, then along the diagonal of the speaker and voltage increases. Each subsequent figure is already more unstable and more and more despair and dull horror is read on their faces. We do not see the faces of the first blind, he is already immersed in water. But his figure expresses helplessness and despair.
The idea and composition are emphasized by the color of the picture. For a dark plot, the artist picked up soft muted tones. The landscape is dominated by strongly muted ocher, dusty greens. The low gloomy sky is made in shades of gray. There is not a single gap between the clouds. The clothes of the blind in 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. Tension rises with color. The deaf cloaks of the last two men are made in the most calm and dark shades. At the cliff, flashes of dazzling white stockings and bonnets flicker, the dirty white cloak of the third blind echoes them. The clothes of the brightest tones - red, green, orange - were awarded by the guide artist, who so ingloriously finished his journey. Clay at the cliff shines with bright ocher.
This picture is one of the last and most famous works of Peter Bruegel. In this work, he showed himself to be a mature artist. The skillful writing technique and masterful use of painting techniques are combined here with drama and plot depth.