Pieter Bruegel the Elder ca. 1520 – 1569

The Preaching of St. John

Bruegel would often use biblical themes to depict village-life as he knew it. This is another fine example. The viewer’s attention is first drawn to the figures in the foreground, then to the river in the background and only then to John the Baptist, wearing a garment of camel hair.

The painting was created when the Iconoclast raged in the Low Countries and Protestant clergymen were touring the country, stopping in places to call for Reformation. This painting may have been inspired by one such meeting.