Circa 1524-1569
Painter

Early Activities. Pieter Bruegel the Elder was born circa 1524 in the vicinity of Breda, the Netherlands. His activities as a painter and draftsman may be dated to 1551 when he became a member of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke. His initial training was in the workshop of Pieter Coeck van Aelst, whose daughter he later married. Bruegel's paintings reflect his familiarity with Jan van Amstel's work, particularly in the technique of painting with diluted colors that allowed the underpainting of the canvas to show through. Shortly after becoming a master in the St. Luke's Guild, Bruegel traveled to Italy (circa 1551-1554), perhaps with the painter Maerten de Vos. Scholars have attempted to identify their travel route based upon Bruegel's landscape studies that appear to include scenes of southern Italy. By 1555 he returned to Antwerp to create drawings for a print series...