Northern Renaissance

Question 1

The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch.

Answer 1

Bosch creates fantasy worlds that depict human folly through a highly original hallucinatory style.

Question 2

Hunters in the Snow
by Pieter Bruegel

Answer 2

• Humans, animals, birds, and nature are all bound together, or trapped in the cycle of existence.
• To survive in a cold universe, humans must exercise humility and endurance daily.
• This is no Renaissance celebration, and yet there is a profound respect for the human condition. If anything, it celebrates a simple life in harmony with the community and the seasonal rhythms of nature.

Question 3

The Peasant Wedding by Peter Bruegel

Answer 3

• The peasants find delight in simple pleasures like food and drink.
• Although the outlook on the human condition is far more sober here than anywhere in Renaissance art, Bruegel’s eye for mundane detail is indebted to Renaissance realism.