Pieter Bruegel I (c.1525-1569) – Two Chained Monkeys Part 4
Part 4 – Pieter Bruegel I (c.1525-1569) - Two Chained Monkeys
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Peter Brueghel the Elder’s painting Two Monkeys (Two Monkeys on a Chain) was painted in oil on wood in 1562. The genre is animalistic. The plot is based on two brown monkeys chained to the same ring. They sit on a wide, low window that offers a view of Antwerp, the sea bay with ships, towers and houses lost in the fog. The animals and the chain are the most striking images of the work. They are drawn in detail and vividly.
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Description of the painting "Two Monkeys" by Peter Brueghel the Elder
Peter Brueghel the Elder’s painting Two Monkeys (Two Monkeys on a Chain) was painted in oil on wood in 1562.
The genre is animalistic.
The plot is based on two brown monkeys chained to the same ring. They sit on a wide, low window that offers a view of Antwerp, the sea bay with ships, towers and houses lost in the fog. The animals and the chain are the most striking images of the work. They are drawn in detail and vividly. One animal turns to the viewer, however, his almost human gaze is directed inward, into the depths of his soul. Their lostness and loneliness is evidenced by their huddled, hunched postures. They turn away from each other. Even when close, they do not stick together, do not support each other.
The inclination of their heads, their features, their postures, their tails drooping freely, reveals their longing, apathy, despair, and the understanding that it is impossible for them to be free. The birds soaring over the sea create a contrast - in contrast to the chained animals, the will is available to them. Interestingly, the birds fly in pairs, repeating the image of the two animals.
Another contrast is created by the massive window opening and the graceful, transparent image of nature and the city outside the window. The landscape in the background is painted in soft gentle tones. It is characterized by lightness, a certain melancholy, sadness in contrast to the heaviness, monumentality and immobility of the walls and window sill.
The work is a symbolic representation of sin and base instincts. The monkeys appear as the embodiment of the vices of recklessness, licentiousness, and frivolity. The chain holding them down aims to tame transgressions and base desires. The empty nut shell is all that is left of the former, filled, but now ruined life.
Perhaps the painting is autobiographical and relates to the author’s love affair with some maid and his departure from Antwerp.
The work is preserved in the State Museum in Berlin.
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The chains themselves are rendered with meticulous detail, emphasizing their weight and restrictive nature. Scattered around the monkeys feet lie fragments of what appear to be nuts or seeds, suggesting a meager sustenance within their captivity.
Beyond the archway, a cityscape unfolds under a cloudy sky. A single bird flies across this distant view, while several ships are visible on the water, hinting at commerce and exploration beyond the immediate confines of the scene. The landscape is rendered with a degree of atmospheric perspective, creating a sense of depth and distance that contrasts sharply with the close-up depiction of the monkeys.
The subtexts within the work revolve around themes of confinement, observation, and perhaps even societal critique. The primates’ chained state immediately evokes notions of imprisonment and loss of freedom. Their postures – one alert, one withdrawn – suggest differing responses to their situation; a combination of defiance and resignation.
The framing archway is significant. It functions as both a barrier and a portal, simultaneously isolating the monkeys from the world beyond while also offering them a view of it. This duality could be interpreted as a commentary on human perception and the limitations imposed by social structures or personal circumstances. The distant landscape, with its ships and bird, represents possibilities and freedom that remain inaccessible to the chained creatures.
The inclusion of nuts or seeds scattered at their feet might symbolize the triviality of what is offered to those who are deprived of true liberty. Ultimately, the painting invites contemplation on the nature of captivity, both physical and metaphorical, and the complex relationship between observer and observed.