“The Harvesters”
“The Harvesters” is an oil on wood painting from 1565 by the Flemish Northern Renaissance artist, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This is one in a six-piece series that was commissioned by Niclaes Jongelinck, a wealthy merchant from Antwerp. The series is a set of landscapes depicting all the seasons of the year. “The Harvesters” covers the months of late summer, from July to August.
This series was commissioned to decorate the dining room of Jongelinck’s home. Out of the original six, only five pieces still survive today. Bruegel received several commissions from Jongelinck and his family.
Bruegel depicts the peasants working the land using scythes and harvesting grain. In the foreground on the right, a small group of people are gathering in the shade of a pear tree. They can be seen eating bread and drinking milk. A man can be seen sleeping against the tree. The oil paints have become translucent over time. If seen in person, the viewer can make out the preparatory sketch beneath the paints.
This series marks a turning point in art history. Prior to this, artists only painted landscapes for religious purposes. In this series, Bruegel focuses on the peasant way of life. He chooses to do so with a more truthful and less idealized depiction. This reflects the growing Humanism movement, of which Bruegel was a part, spreading through Northern Europe at this time.
“The Harvesters” is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the United States.
For more on Pieter Bruegel the Elder, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
