The Dutch Renaissance master Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) became the founder of the Bruegel artistic dynasty. His works, which influenced the development of all European genre and landscape painting, became famous during the artist’s lifetime.

The eldest son of the founder of the dynasty, named after his father, Pieter Bruegel the Younger (1564-1638), became famous for his “moral pictures” and subtle humor. He is rightfully considered one of the most important masters of his time.

He was the eldest of three children of the famous artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. After the death of their mother in 1578, the artist’s children Pieter, Jan and Marie were raised by their grandmother. Maria Verhulst Bessemers painted miniatures, and from her, apparently, he inherited detailed sketches of his father’s paintings, and of different sizes. At first he copied his canvases, then began to create his own works, and over time he developed his own style, his colors were brighter and the image sharper.

At the beginning of his artistic career, Pieter Bruegel the Younger was fascinated by themes of the Last Judgement and the depiction of the horrors of hell, demons and witches. For his works he received the nickname Hellish. Then he softened his style a little, abandoning Bosch-style motifs. Pieter Bruegel the Younger began to create paintings that were almost copies of his father’s works. This did not prevent him from gaining no less popularity. And his attention to detail and interest in the most ordinary manifestations of human life became a model. His work became a real encyclopedia of folk life.