Bruegel's Fall of the Tower. “The Tower of Babel” by Bruegel the Elder: Hidden symbols and political satire encrypted in a biblical story
“The Tower of Babel” is one of the most famous paintings by the great Dutch artist (1525-1569). The canvas was painted in 1563 (wood, oil). Currently located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In the art of this painter there are a large number of masterpieces of world significance, but “ Tower of Babel"is held in special esteem. Surely, many of you, having heard about the Tower of Babel, imagine it exactly as it is presented in Bruegel’s painting. This is because this canvas is published almost everywhere, from books with biblical content to textbooks for primary school children.
The story of the Tower of Babel story tells that people set out to reach heaven and become equal to God. To pacify their pride, God confused the languages of people, as a result of which they ceased to understand each other, and construction could not continue. People with different languages were scattered throughout the world, and the tower appeared as a symbol that speaks of all futility to compare with God.
Painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder fully embraces the grandeur of man's ideas. The tower is already built so high that it reaches the clouds. There is a city nearby, and a large number of people work on construction. The picture is very realistic and narrative. When studying the painting, it was found that Bruegel took the Colosseum in Rome, which he saw during one of his trips, as the basis for the Tower of Babel. The plain, the sea, and the buildings around the tower are more reminiscent of his native Netherlands. The little workers who work on the construction are more like ants who set out to build the largest anthill in the world, and not in order to live in it, but in order to please their own pride and show their exceptional superiority.
The painting also depicts Inspector Nimrol, who was considered the leader of the construction of the tower. Here Bruegel tried to show a slightly different side of the construction failure. The tower failed not at all because all the languages were mixed, but because fatal mistakes were made in the design. The entire building is built unevenly, the lower floors begin to collapse, and the tower itself begins to tilt to the side and is soon ready to collapse completely.
There are two paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder on the subject of the Bath of Babylon. The one shown here is called the Great Tower of Babel. The second one is made in a smaller size and is therefore called Small. The Small Tower of Babel is made in gloomy colors and in the complete absence of people, since construction has already been suspended.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder is known as a Dutch painter. In his works, Peter preferred to depict genre scenes and landscapes, while ignoring portraiture.
“The Tower of Babel” is one of the famous works of Bruegel the Elder, based on the book of Moses. However, Peter painted not one picture with a similar plot, but three. At the moment, only two works have survived, both are called “Tower of Babel” and dated 1563, but their paths have diverged. The first canvas is kept in Vienna at the Museum of Art, and the second in Rotterdam at the Boijmans-van Beuningen Museum.
As conceived by the creator, the paintings were based on biblical history. She talked about those times when all people spoke the same language. At one point they decided to build a tower to climb as high as possible. Then God decided to hinder people by confusing their languages. After this, people stopped understanding each other, and the construction of the great tower became impossible.
However, according to Peter's idea, the construction was not successful due to the fault of the workers themselves. The pictures show that parts of the structure do not create a coherent composition: windows and arches are of different sizes, the overall dimensions are not respected, the tiers are built crookedly, in some places the tower began to collapse on its own, the entire structure is crooked towards the nearest settlement.
The first painting, now kept in Vienna, looks bright and welcoming, while the second work is filled with dark colors and a gloomy atmosphere. If we compare the details, both pictures depict a large-scale construction, which at first glance seems reliable and strong, but upon detailed study, all the errors in the construction become visible.
Bruegel the Elder depicted a tower seven floors high, with an eighth in the process of being created. The entire structure is surrounded by lifts, construction ladders, scaffolding, and cranes. On one side of the Tower of Babel there is a seaport, you can even see moored ships, on the other there is a city with various buildings.
There are people on both canvases, but the artist depicted them differently. In the light painting, now housed in the Museum of Art, the people are more pronounced and visible, while in the painting from Rotterdam the human figures almost fade against the scale of the tower.
The “Tower of Babel” is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Bruegel was inspired by the Colosseum in Rome. Initially, it was perceived as a symbol of rejection of Christianity, but the creator himself considered the Colosseum to be a place of rejection of Protestants, to whom he considered himself. Peter reinforces his attitude towards the Catholic faith with the construction of the Tower of Babel - it is similar to the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, where the popes once gathered.
- Mentions of three paintings have survived to this day, one of which was destroyed. However, some scholars believe that the “Tower of Babel” series had more paintings with the same type of plot.
- The film “The Lord of the Rings” uses an allusion to the “Tower of Babel” - the city of Minas Tirith.
- In the paintings, construction is arranged in stages: manual labor, the use of poles to move slabs, blocks, lifts of varying degrees of power. With this, Peter showed the stages of development of construction, which has taken big steps forward.
Renaissance. He is classified as a great master, and among people he is called not the eldest, but the “peasant.” The famous work of this artist is the painting “The Tower of Babel,” which will be discussed in our article.
Brief biography of Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Renaissance artist who lived in the 16th century. There is no exact date of birth of the master, but his biographer leaned toward 1525. The opinions of biographers, historians and art historians differ regarding the place of Peter's birth. Some believe that the artist spent his childhood in the city of Breda, while others claim that his home is located in the small village of Bregel. However, we know for sure that Pieter Bruegel the Elder is from the Netherlands.
In his works, Peter puts images of a satirical epic, village life and nature. The artist has many famous paintings on biblical themes and ancient Roman mythology. For example, the painting “Tower of Babel” is popular, which will be discussed in this article.
Plot
Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting “The Tower of Babel” is not the only one of its kind. There are two copies painted by the artist. The large painting dates back to 1563, but there is still debate about the small one.
In biblical mythology, there is a legend that tells about the origin of various languages and peoples. According to legend, after the great flood, only the descendants of Noah lived on earth, who began to own the lands of Shinar. These people always sought to rise to God, for this they decided to build a high tower to heaven.
God was against people rising to the level of the Creator, and He sent punishment on them. One morning, Noah's descendants went to construction again, but they no longer understood each other, since each of them spoke a completely different language. Because of this, chaos occurred, the construction of the Tower of Babel stopped, and people, in the hope of finding those who would understand them, scattered throughout the world and created new states and peoples.
Context
The painting “The Tower of Babel” is filled with dozens of important historical fragments that Pieter Bruegel the Elder succinctly depicted.
If you look closely, the first thing that catches your eye is a small group of people in the lower left corner. King Nimrod is depicted here, a cruel and warlike hero of the Middle East. He also led the construction of the tower. It is not difficult to guess that the king arrived at the construction site to check the progress of work.
There is no doubt that this is Nimrod, since the common people fell prostrate before him. Renaissance art historians claim that this detail is a reference to King Charles V, a despot and emperor of the Roman Empire. Peter also tried to convey in detail the culture of those times: manual labor, agriculture, cattle breeding.
The main feature of the picture is a majestic tower of indecent size, which was impossible to build with hands, so the artist depicted stone and wooden construction machines.
"The Great Tower of Babel"
“The Tower of Babel” is a painting by Bruegel the Elder, created in the mid-16th century. The scale of this picture is amazing. A large number of residents are concentrated here, their common cause and, of course, a huge tower.
The basis for the creation of the painting was the artist’s visit to Rome (1553), so the painting bears a great resemblance to the Colosseum. The main difference between the picture is the complex structure of the Tower of Babel. While the first floors are reminiscent of Roman culture, the upper floors consist of complex construction equipment.
Bruegel the Elder himself repeatedly noted that the Tower of Babel could have been completed if not for the mistakes made during the construction of the building. Therefore, the artist depicted an unevenly constructed, asymmetrical building, where some floors are not completed, are located unevenly, while others are completely collapsing and tilting to the side.
The painting can be seen in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna).
"Little Tower of Babel"
“The Little Tower of Babel” is a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, which is the opposite of the first version. There is debate among historians and art critics regarding the date of writing of this illustration of the parable. Opinions are split on two fronts: some believe that this work is the first draft and was painted before 1563, others attribute the painting to the beginning of the 17th century.
If you look closely, construction has already been suspended, there are no people in the picture, the cities and fields are deserted. The “Little Tower of Babel” itself is made in darker and gloomier colors, which evokes feelings of anxiety, chaos and devastation. This painting is now in the possession of the Bymans-van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.
The description of the painting “The Tower of Babel” hides many secrets and mysteries that only an art critic or Bruegel admirer can see. This is because his paintings are colorful work, including dozens of tiny details. Let's look at some of them.
1. This is not just an image of the Renaissance, but a colorful graphic story not about a biblical parable, but about the life of people 2 thousand years ago. In the picture you can see masons who are hewing out even blocks for construction, and loaders who are erecting these same blocks on stretchers.
2. The painting “Tower of Babel” reflects the vibrant life of those times. Some have vegetable gardens, some plow the land, and some take care of children.
3. The tower is surrounded by a large and massive stone fence. Judging by the picture, such a “fence” is at least 3-5 meters high, maybe more.
4. Around the Tower of Babel there is a whole city with numerous houses (one- and two-story), rivers, bridges and huge fields and squares. It is impossible to assess the scale of the city at first glance.
Special details
“The Tower of Babel” - the painting by Bruegel the Elder contains interesting facts that surprise many art critics and historians. For example, the artist created another painting from the “Tower of Babel” series, which has a very small format. The painting, like the two previous ones, was painted in oil in 1565.
Now Peter's third work is in the Dresden Art Gallery. It is also interesting that, according to his personal biographer, the artist created not three paintings, but a whole series of works, which, unfortunately, have not survived.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was inspired by his visits to Italy and his acquaintance with Giulio Clovio (miniaturist). The artist’s main idea is to depict not just the life of a person, his culture, interests and mythology, but to convey the true history of humanity. Each work is filled with meaning.
The artist conveys the unity of fate, successfully interweaves life and death, and also delves into the life of each person.
To understand the essence and meaning of the works of Bruegel the Elder, you need to repeatedly watch and study his works. This requires a special understanding of the world and the universe as a whole, which the artist so ardently tried to tell us about.
Art of the Netherlands 16th century
“The Tower of Babel” is a famous painting by artist Pieter Bruegel. The artist created several paintings on this subject. This work is based on a biblical allegory about human pride. Bruegel’s painting, at the same time, in its grandiose and at the same time poetic form, is filled with a sense of life. It is in the countless figures of builders, in the movement of the carts, in the landscape (especially in the image of the sea of roofs spreading on either side of the tower - small, standing apart and at the same time closely next to each other, cast in gentle tones). It is characteristic that in a painting written on the same subject earlier (“The Little Tower of Babel”; Rotterdam), the tower completely suppressed the human element. Here Bruegel not only avoids such an effect, but goes further - he, for whom nature was incomparably more beautiful than man, now looks for the human element in it.
The picture is based on a plot from the First Book of Moses about the construction of the Tower of Babel, which was conceived by people to reach the sky with its top: “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose height reaches to heaven.” To pacify their pride, God confused their languages so that they could no longer understand each other and scattered them throughout the earth, so the building was not completed. The moral of this picture is the frailty of everything earthly and the futility of mortals’ aspirations to compare with the Lord. Bruegel's Tower of Babel fully corresponds to the traditions of the pictorial depiction of this biblical parable: there is a stunning scale of construction, the presence of a huge number of people and construction equipment.
It is known that in 1553 Bruegel visited Rome. In the painting “The Tower of Babel” by Pieter Bruegel, the Roman Colosseum is easily recognizable with its typical features of Roman architecture: protruding columns, horizontal tiers and double arches. Seven floors of the tower have already been built in one way or another, and the eighth floor is being built. The Tower of Babel is surrounded by construction barracks, cranes, hoists used in those days, ladders and scaffolding. At the foot of the tower is a city with a busy port. The area where the Tower of Babel is being built is very reminiscent of the Netherlands with its plains and sea. The people depicted in the picture - workers, stonemasons - seem very small and resemble ants in their diligence.
Much larger are the figures of Nimrod, the legendary conqueror of Babylon in the 2nd millennium BC, inspecting the construction site, who was traditionally considered the leader of the construction of the Tower of Babel, and his retinue in the lower left corner of the picture. The low, oriental-style bow of the stonemasons to Nimrod is a tribute to the origin of the parable. It is interesting that, according to Bruegel, the failure that befell such a “large-scale project” was not due to sudden language barriers, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge structure seems quite strong, but upon closer examination it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.
Among all the works of world fine art, Bruegel's painting "The Tower of Babel" occupies a special place. Its main feature is that it is in accordance with what is depicted on it that most of humanity imagines what one of the most striking events of the Old Testament looked like.
From the history of a masterpiece
It is reliably known that the painting by the outstanding Dutch painter of the sixteenth century, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, was painted by him in 1563. It is this that art historians consider to be the first of two author’s versions of this work. The first of them is currently located in the capital of Austria, and the second is exhibited in the artist’s homeland, at the Boysmans van Beuningham Museum in Rotterdam. The second option is almost half the size of the first. In addition, it has a darker color scheme and fewer characters are depicted. Both versions of the work were painted with oil paints on a wooden base.
What does the viewer see in the picture?
The painting “The Tower of Babel” by Pieter Bruegel reveals to the viewer a mysterious image of the legendary biblical structure, which is in the midst of its construction. But even in its unfinished state, the tower stuns the viewer’s imagination. The strongest impression is made not so much by the structure itself, soaring into the sky-high heights, but by the engineering and architectural persuasiveness with which it was built.
All scrupulous elaboration of the smallest details is strictly subordinated to the overall plan. And this leaves no doubt that such a structure could actually be built. The tower represents a single bright architectural image, extremely daring in its design and convincing in its engineering implementation in practice. The reality of what is happening is emphasized by people working in construction. The painting “The Tower of Babel” captured the builders until the moment when the angry Almighty Creator, by his will, stopped the implementation of their project. They do not yet know that the Tower will not be completed, and are busily climbing up with building materials and tools. In the foreground you can see the ruler of Babylon Nimrod with his retinue. It was this figure who was considered the architect and leader of the construction of the Tower of Babel. It is interesting to note that the background landscape with the river and boats bears little resemblance to ancient Mesopotamia, where, according to the original source, the tower was built. The artist clearly depicted his native Holland as a background.
Biblical basis of the plot
The most detailed description of the painting “The Tower of Babel” can tell little to a viewer who is not knowledgeable in biblical history. Moreover, in that part of it, which in the Orthodox tradition is called the “Old Testament”. Bruegel's painting "The Tower of Babel" is inspired by the first of the Pentateuch of Moses. This Old Testament prophet is traditionally revered in Christianity along with the apostles and evangelists. This fundamental work underlies three world religions.
Of course, Bruegel's painting "The Tower of Babel" is dedicated to only one specific episode of this book. It tells how people dared to measure their creative power with God and set out to build a large city with a tower reaching to heaven in its center. But the Almighty Creator stopped this intention by mixing the languages of the townspeople, as a result of which they ceased to understand each other. And construction stopped. This parable illustrates the futility of human pride in relation to God.
Trip to Rome
The painting "Tower of Babel" shows the viewer a very large number of architectural details. It is difficult to imagine that all of them were taken by the artist from his own imagination. Moreover, in his homeland, Holland, there is no such architecture. Indeed, from historical sources it is known that in 1553 Pieter Bruegel the Elder visited Rome, where he made sketches of ancient architecture.
What first attracted his attention was the Colosseum. It is its outlines that are easily recognizable in the Tower of Babel. It resembles the Colosseum not only with its outer wall, but also with its entire carefully drawn internal structure. An attentive viewer will easily find many similarities in the arcade tiers, colonnades and double arches of both architectural structures - fictional and real. And to find the difference between them, you should look east, towards Ancient Mesopotamia.
Images of Ancient Mesopotamia
Many researchers of ancient history have noticed that the “Tower of Babel,” a painting by Pieter Bruegel, is largely inspired by the real one. The unique culture of this ancient country, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is characterized by just such architecture.
On the territory of modern Iraq you can still find ziggurats - ancient religious buildings. The principle of their construction is identical to the tower from Bruegel’s painting. The same spiral overpass along the outer wall leads to their top. It had a mystical meaning and ritual significance - people used it to ascend to heaven. Of course, in terms of size, no ziggurats can compete with the Tower of Babel. But they are located in the same area as described in the Old Testament. This coincidence cannot be accidental. Thus, the painting "Tower of Babel" reflects the architectural images of two ancient civilizations - Rome and Mesopotamia.
Reflections and refractions
"The Tower of Babel" has become one of the most striking and memorable images in the entire history of fine arts. Throughout its almost half a thousand year history, it has been copied, parodied and reinterpreted many times by other artists of different eras.
In particular, this image can be observed in the film adaptation of Tolkien’s famous novel “The Lord of the Rings”. It was the painting “The Tower of Babel” by Pieter Bruegel that served as a source of inspiration for the film’s artists. The city of Minas Tirith, where one of the most important episodes of the cult narrative takes place, is copied from it.