Pieter Brueghel the Elder
- proper noun
- The landscapes of Pieter Brueghel the Elder often depict everyday peasant life in vivid detail.
Examples
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Many art historians regard Pieter Brueghel the Elder as one of the greatest painters of the Northern Renaissance.
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A major exhibition featured works of Pieter Brueghel the Elder alongside his son's paintings.
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Look at Pieter Brueghel the Elder!
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Many art historians admire Pieter Brueghel the Elder for his unique style.
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Many art historians regard Pieter Brueghel the Elder as one of the greatest painters of the Northern Renaissance.
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The landscapes of Pieter Brueghel the Elder often depict everyday peasant life in vivid detail.
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A major exhibition featured works of Pieter Brueghel the Elder alongside his son's paintings.
Synonyms
1
9.4
A Flemish painter known for detailed village and landscape scenes
1
8.4
A Flemish painter known for detailed scenes of peasant life and landscapes
1
8.8
A 16th-century painter from Flanders who painted detailed landscapes and village life
1
8.9
A famous painter from Flanders in the 1500s who painted village and farm life
A painter from Flanders in the 1500s who painted landscapes and peasant life
A Flemish painter from the 1500s known for detailed landscapes and village life scenes
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pieter + Brueghel + the + elder
The phrase contains a proper name (Pieter Brueghel) whose referent and fame are arbitrary and cannot be deduced from the parts, but the epithet 'the Elder' is transparent and signals an older/distinctive individual (often used cross-linguistically to distinguish family members or historical figures). Thus a B1 learner who knows the constituents would grasp that this refers to an older/earlier Pieter Brueghel but would not be able to infer the specific identity as a renowned Flemish painter without prior knowledge.
Etymology
The painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder got the Elder because he had a son with the same name, so people used the Elder to show he was 'the older artist'. He became famous for painting busy village scenes filled with many small people, so when you see Pieter Brueghel the Elder it means the original, well-known artist who painted lively peasant life.