Gloomy Day Pieter Brueghel The Elder (1525-1569)

Description of Peter Brueghel’s painting A Dusky Day

Here’s someone you can definitely tell that the author is a gloomy, pessimist who doesn’t allow for any lighter moments in life. Alas, that seems to be the case. Whatever canvas he wrote - it’s still gloomy, some dirty - gray. Maybe that was his way of trying to influence those who saw these canvases. I don’t know if the common public saw his works because it was in the Middle Ages, but if they did, they must have been obviously distraught.

This painting, for example, belongs to the "Seasons" series, and in particular on this canvas is "February-March. That is, it’s just the time when winter recedes and spring arrives. So what do we see? First of all, we notice people, but only a glimpse so far. We look more into the landscape. It is far from lyrical: the sky is overcast, the sea is clearly on the verge of storm, and fog is rolling in from behind the mountains. The snowy heights do not inspire optimism either.

The land itself is light brown, and, in principle, everything in this brown hue works in this canvas. There are other colors as well, but they only increase a kind of oppression. But let’s go back to the people. What are they doing in this weather? Some are working - trimming trees, gathering brushwood, bringing something on the cart. And someone just - simply robbed his own citizen. Fun? For someone it may be, but obviously not for the average citizen.

Such canvases the artist wrote whether five, or seven, or even all twelve paintings. Exactly unknown. But what is known for sure is that such a series of canvases was and for the preservation of museums is now five. Museum workers are really still arguing about the exact number of paintings.

They say that many of Bruegel’s works have been lost, so there is no exact certainty about much of his work. And then there are three Bruegels - a father and two sons. And over time they even became confused. It’s good that now it’s more or less sorted out.