The officers seem to be arguing as to whether Jesus should
be helped in carrying his cross. At the right-hand edge of
the picture we once again observe a bearded figure, perhaps
that of the painter himself.
Criticism of the Catholic Church may have played a part
here - directed not against the faith but against the
institution, the clergy and their worldly power. This
criticism is also apparent in the artist's selection of
subjects. Bruegel painted no martyrs, no saints from the
history of the Catholic Church, but only biblical figures
-those, in other words, who were of significance for every
Christian. It is possible that anti-Spanish feelings were
also at work here. The Catholic Church was so inextricably
linked with the worldly rule of Philip that to attack the
Church was to attack the King. Bruegel filled the area of
which the saints were deprived with the people and scenery
of the Netherlands. Intentionally or not, Bruegel's pictures
reflect the wish that the foreign rulers be deposed, and
therefore reveal something of the process of emancipation
taking place in the Netherlands provinces.
This is but one aspect among many. The fact that the
painter's work should not be viewed from this angle alone is
illustrated by two grisailles, The Death of the Virgin
(c. 1564) and Christ and the WomanTaken in
Adultery (1565). Each of the panels is restricted to its
religious subject-matter. In the former, St. John, next to
the fireplace, appears to be asleep. In his dream, he sees
the dying Virgin, with the believers from all over the world
streaming towards her. In the latter picture, Jesus is
writing with His finger in the dust the famous sentence
concerning the stone which should be thrown at the woman
taken in adultery by "he that is without sin amongst you"
(John 8:7). The two paintings are very singular. The absence
of different colours - grisaille - is compensated for by
almost supernatural lighting effects, similar to those which
Rembrandt would employ again and again in the following
century.
The Death of the Virgin c. 1564
John the disciple, sleeping next to the fireplace on the
left of the picture, is dreaming that the apostles and other
saints have assembled around the bed of the dying Virgin.
Bruegel is employing seemingly supernatural lighting effects
here, such as would later be typical of Rembrandt's work.
Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery 1565
The woman whom the Pharisees have accused has been portrayed
by
Bruegel as a graceful figure in the centre of the picture.
She represents
one of the few female figures to be painted by Bruegel not
as an earthy
country woman but instead in accordance with the urban ideal
of beauty.
The Temptation of Saint Anthony c. 1550
This early painting is in the fantastic tradition of
Hieronymus Bosch
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