Bruegel’s anti-nostalgia

Art history is filled with stories of painters destroying their work, whether out of frustration or fear. In his 1604 book Schilder-Boek, Karel van Mander recorded one particular story about the Netherlandish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. He apparently ordered his wife to destroy some of his drawings on his deathbed, either ‘because of remorse, or fear that disagreeable consequences might arise from them’.

For centuries, these comments have been interpreted as evidence of Bruegel’s response to early events in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule. However, precisely what he meant remains unclear.

Rather than seeking to link Bruegel with any particular political faction during this period of unrest, this talk examines some of Bruegel’s surviving painted and drawn works − including the National Gallery’s ‘Adoration of the Kings’ as evidence of a growing critique of the legacies of empire. It considers how, in a culture that celebrated ruins of the past, Bruegel explored the ways in which nostalgia could have a negative effect on how people understood the present.

The talk will be followed by a one hour drinks reception.