From Bosch to Bruegel. Favorite Paintings

The Northern Renaissance is not so much a variation of a common process for Europe as it is an independent, deeply distinctive phenomenon. German and Dutch artists Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Dürer, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Matthias Grünewald did not limit themselves to copying individual forms of Italian painting, but embodied in their work their own original vision, infused with a mystical worldview and symbolism. In their whimsical paintings, the religious intertwines with the mundane, God manifests Himself in the harmony of nature, biblical stories penetrate earthly life, and a desperate search for truth is reflected, along with anxious premonitions, the quiet poetry of everyday life in all its details— and the ugliness, the meaninglessness of life devoid of a spiritual principle. This illustrated edition presents the lectures of art historian Paola Dmitrievna Volkova, the author of the famous cycle Bridge over the Abyss, dedicated to the artists of the Northern Renaissance, revised and supplemented for the reader's convenience. This book is for those who appreciate art and want to acquire a truly valuable gift for their library.