An artwork on Galleree from The Art Institute of Chicago.
About the artwork
Landscape with HuntersPaul Bril (Flemish, 1553/54–1626)
1619
Flanders
60 × 88 cm (23 5/8 × 34 5/8 in.); Framed: 77.8 × 105.7 × 6 cm (30 5/8 × 41 5/8 × 2 3/8 in.)
Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection; Alexander A. McKay, Josephine and John I. Louis, and Marilyn H. Quinn funds
['17th Century']
['landscape', 'men', 'rabbits', 'dog', 'mountains', 'river', 'foliage', 'animals', 'trees', 'birds', 'horse', 'hunters', 'hunter']
['painting', 'european painting', 'oil on canvas', 'paint']
['oil paint (paint)', 'canvas', 'paint', 'painting']
['oil painting', 'painting', 'painting (image making)', 'painting techniques']
Paul Bril was one of the most prominent and financially successful Northern European landscape painters in Rome between 1590 and 1626. Here he incorporated the classical architecture, rolling hills, and vast expanses of sky found in earlier Italian landscapes into the forest views typical of Flanders in the late 1500s. Such classically inflected landscapes would become popular with collectors of Flemish art across Europe by the mid-17th century.
| attributed to Art Institute of Chicago under CC-By license
In the heart of Rome, during the years stretching from 1590 to 1626, a painter named Paul Bril wove the very essence of landscapes onto his canvases. His name echoed through the bustling streets as one of the most significant artists of Northern European descent in a city brimming with culture and history. Underneath the timeless Roman sky, Bril crafted a niche for himself, blending the ancient whispers of classical architecture with the serenity of rolling hills and the infinite blue above.
Imagine, if you will, the vibrancy of the Italian countryside spilling seamlessly into the dense forests reminiscent of Flanders, a land that cradled his artistic soul. Each brushstroke narrated a dialogue between the past and present, the local and the foreign. The twilight sun dipped behind the horizon, casting golden hues that danced across the vast expanses of his paintings, inviting viewers to step into worlds where nature and manmade elegance coexisted harmoniously.
As Bril painted, a new style emerged—one that caught the eye of collectors far away, drawing in admirers of Flemish art from every corner of Europe. The landscapes he created, infused with a classical inflection, became treasures of the mid-17th century. Paul Bril didn’t just depict nature; he transformed it into a story, a rich tapestry of history and emotion, inviting all who gazed upon his work to pause, reflect, and resonate with the beauty of the world around them.
About the artist
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