ABSTRACT
In the brief period between 1559 and 1563 Bruegel created a series of unprecedented paintings, sophisticated in conception, complex in construction, and executed with extraordinary skill. To trace Bruegel's subsequent career and the art produced after 1563 is beyond the scope of the present study, but aside from its intrinsic interest the creative process involved in the works produced between 1559 and 1563 has special relevance for two questions that have proven troublesome in Bruegel studies. Bruegel's move to Brussels initiated a number of changes in his creative process. Painting became the dominant medium, with a decline in the number of drawings made expressly for the printmaker. Bruegel's success also allowed him, to change the way his paintings were produced. A reconsideration of Bruegel's Fall of Icarus addresses both the issue of workshop assistance and the question of whether humanist concerns had an important role in Bruegel's creative process.
