Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
least a manger), because Mary's going
into labor.
The year is 1566—the same year
that Protestant extremists through-
out the Low Countries vandalized
Catholic churches, tearing down
“ idolatrous” statues and paintings
of the Virgin Mary. Brueghel (more
discreetly) brings Mary down to earth
from her Triumphant Coronation in
heaven, and places Jesus' birth in the humble here and now. The
busy villagers put their heads down and work, oblivious to the
future Mother of God and the wonder about to take place.
Brueghel the Elder was famous for his landscapes filled with
crowds of peasants in motion. His religious paintings place the
miraculous in everyday settings.
In this room, you'll see Brueghel's works, as well as those of
his less-famous sons. Pieter Brueghel II, the younger Pieter, copied
dad's style (and even some paintings, like the
Census at Bethlehem
).
Another son, Jan, was known as the “Velvet Brueghel” for his
glossy still lifes of flower arrangements.
•
Leave the blue tour and walk through to Room 34 and beyond, to the
main hallway in this wing, in order to follow the brown tour signs.
You'll find lots of Rubens in Rooms 52 and 53, including the wall-
sized...
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)—
The Ascent to Calvary
(La Montée au Calvaire)
Life-size figures scale this 18-foot-tall canvas on the way to Christ's
Crucifixion. The scene ripples with motion, from the windblown
clothes to steroid-enhanced muscles to billowing flags and a trou-
bled sky. Christ stumbles, and might get trampled by the surging
crowd. Veronica kneels to gently wipe his bloody head.
This 200-square-foot canvas was manufactured by Rubens
at his studio in Antwerp. Hiring
top-notch assistants, Rubens could
crank out large altarpieces for the
area's Catholic churches. First,
Rubens himself did a small-scale
sketch in oil (like many of the
studies in Room 52). He would
then make other sketches, high-
lighting individual details. His
assistants would reproduce them
on the large canvas, and Rubens
would then add the final touches.
