Reading Art: Bruegel's 'Death of Saul' | Literary & Visual Arts | Arts ...

A narrative on vain endeavors

By Wim Van Aalst Created: August 14, 2012 Last Updated: August 14, 2012

?The Suicide of Saul,? by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (circa 1525?1569).

Bruegel was a kind of ?einzelganger,? or loner, in his day. Though he spent time studying classical art in Italy, he was not your typical Renaissance painter?not in form, nor in content. While the Renaissance glorified man as the center of creation, Bruegel saw man as a fool adrift in a wonderful, sometimes frightening world.

Bruegel depicted man not as the center of the world, but as a tiny part of it, a small creature subject to the laws of heaven and earth, but, nevertheless, often violating them.

Bruegel?s painting style lacks the superb modeling of the typical Renaissance painter, especially in his figures, which are almost doll-like creatures: tiny, both comic and tragic.

He was one of those rare, magical painters who could tell a story.

His strength was his ability to create interesting and often heavily elaborated compositions, which were dotted with playful rhythm and wonderful use of color.

But what made him really stand out was that he was one of those rare, magical painters who could tell a story. (It is believed that he dressed up as a peasant in order to mingle at weddings and festivities to get inspiration for his paintings.)

Living in an age of plagues, wars, and religious madness, Bruegel tackled numerous subjects, often depicting the foolish and even dark side of mankind. His compassion prevented his works from slipping into the moral bankruptcy of cynicism. Yet often they were poignant.

Bruegel?s ?The Suicide of Saul? follows the Biblical account of King Saul?s defeat. King Saul was guilty of arrogance: He had violated not only God?s direct commands, but gripped by jealousy and paranoia, also spent years hunting down the popular warlord David in an attempt to assassinate him.

When Saul went to war with the Philistines, an arrow gravely wounded him. Seeing that his army was being defeated, he killed himself, as did his servant.

Bruegel gives these protagonists, as he so often does, only a minor role in the play of things. Bruegel presents us a wide view of the scenery: a serene landscape in back and a swarming hoard of soldiers in front. On a peak in the middle are a slew of Philistine archers.

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Though the troops below ride under different flags, no distinction can be seen in their armor or weaponry. It?s hard to tell just who is who?is this an army fighting itself? They seem all the same under Bruegel?s brush.

The sea of battle spears resembles the characteristic swaying of a field of wheat in the wind when it?s ready to be harvested. But if it?s men who are doing the harvesting, then what they?re harvesting is none but themselves here.

On the left, the king and his loyal servant who just killed themselves receive a typical Bruegel makeover?they look like tiny dolls. There is no glory at all in their tragic hour. Their foolishness is echoed in the massacre in the valley below. Some soldiers flee into the woods, which show only a dark, inhospitable face.

There is no glory and no solace at the end of the path laid out by a hubristic king.

There is a horizontal divide in the middle of the painting, with the horrors of war depicted below and an idyllic scene above. Above, trees are green, fields are lush, and civilization breathes peacefully under a clear sky in the distance.

Though the contrast is clear, the ideal is far off. The dark patches of the woods and rocks command our gaze down, into the mosh pit of battle, as if Bruegel wanted to tell us how hard it is to focus on civilization in times of war.

There?s a sub-plot, as well: A caravan in the distance refers to David?s simultaneous chasing of the Amalekites, who plundered his city and kidnapped the women while he and his army were out on a military expedition of their own.

To different extents, both the good and the bad king reap ill fortune from their military ambitions.

It?s hard to argue with Bruegel.

This is the second installment in a series of articles called ?Reading Art.? In these articles, the author explores masterful works of art throughout the ages and tries to find what makes them extraordinary, from the obvious to the hidden.

Wim Van Aalst has a master?s degree in publicity and graphic design. He is a self-taught painter and teaches students in traditional oil painting techniques.

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Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/reading-art-bruegels-death-of-saul-279507.html

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