Description
Book SynopsisPieter Bruegel (1525-1569), generally considered the greatest Flemish painter of the sixteenth century, was described as a supremely comic artist. This book explores the function and production of laughter in the sixteenth century, and also examines the ways in which Bruegel exploited the comic potential of Hieronymus Bosch.
Trade Review"In Pieter Bruegel and the Art of Laughter Walter Gibson makes it abundantly clear that laughter is a key feature in many of Bruegel's works. He examines witty and humorous elements in Bruegel's paintings, prints, and drawings and creates a context for understanding them as part of sixteenth-century culture. The material Gibson brings to bear on Bruegel will be new to many. This book will appeal to art historians and anyone interested in sixteenth-century thought and culture." - John Oliver Hand, Curator of Northern Renaissance Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington "This book offers a much needed, and long overdue alternative to the primarily moralizing approach to Northern Renaissance and Baroque art and the works of Pieter Bruegel. Walter Gibson goes way beyond what art history has offered to date, giving a new, more balanced reading of Bruegel's art." - Alison Stewart, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln"
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments prologue Deciphering Bruegel chapter 1 The Commodity of Laughter in the Sixteenth Century chapter 2 Bruegel's Art of Laughter chapter 3 A Bankrupt and His Bruegels chapter 4 Rustic Revels chapter 5 Making Good Cheer chapter 6 The Devil's Nemesis: Griet and Her Sisters epilogue Taking Laughter Seriously Notes Select Bibliography Index
