Overview

In September 2022 Members of West Kirby Art Group decided that it would be a great learning experience to reproduce as accurately as possible a version of the missing ‘Spring’ painting from Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s ‘Seasons’ series of paintings. Our aim from the start being to copy as closely as possible his working methods and materials. The project is collaborative, engaging WKAG members, West Kirby Arts Centre, the Williamson Museum and Art Gallery and the Albertina Museum (Vienna).

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's series of paintings depicting the seasons, known as ‘The Seasons’ or ‘The Months,’ includes five surviving works: ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ (Winter), ‘ The Gloomy Day’ (February/March), ‘The Hay Harvest’ (Summer), ‘The Harvesters’ (August/September), and ‘The Return of the Herd’ (Autumn). However, it is believed that there was originally a sixth painting in the series depicting the season of Spring, which has been lost to history. 

 

So what did the missing picture look like? 

This note speculating about the missing picture is on the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York’s website: 

‘It is generally agreed that the missing picture represented the months of March/April. It may have resembled, at least in subject, Bruegel's drawing of ’Spring’ (Albertina, Vienna), which is inscribed by the artist "De Lenten Meert April Meij."’ ( Met New York) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Panel.
Bruegel used oak panels made up of separate planks of oak glued together to make the other paintings in the ‘Seasons’ series. They were initially sized to be around 117cm x 164cm. So we bought 6 oak planks measuring 21cm x 164cm from PB Hardwoods in Liverpool. The wood was sourced from Poland, and it was kiln dried. 
The panels were joined together using 6 wooden biscuit joints for each length. Pellets of the animal skin glue were soaked in water and then heated to around 55 C ‘coffee cup’ temperature and then applied to the joints and edges of each plank and clamped. After a few days the finished panel was then sanded to a smooth finish. 

 

 

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The Ground.
The next stage involved making the ‘ground’ to paint on. We copied the same surface that Breugel used which was a mixture of animal glue and chalk. Again the animal glue was heated and then mixed with the chalk. This warm mixture was then painted onto the panel. There are three coats which were each allowed a week to dry. The surface was then sanded to a smooth finish.

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The Drawing. 
We then started the first ‘drawing’ stage where we transferred Bruegel’s ink study onto our panel by projection and tracing it with graphite pencil. We have sealed this drawing, by painting over it, with a mixture of refined linseed oil and titanium white, following Breugel’s working methods. This layer is partially transparent so that we can see the graphite drawing through this layer. 

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What you are seeing next is the first imprimatura painted/drawing stage using Burnt Umber over the top of the sealed graphite drawing. 

 

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The Imprimatura Tonal Layer.

The next stage of the process was to add a tonal layer using Burnt Umber and Titanium White carefully transcribing the Pen and Ink original. It was critical at this stage to really understand what some of the less detailed areas in the original drawing were depicting. 

For example : 

1. What and who is in the boat - Two people, a lady stood facing forward and a man facing towards us using an oar to steer the boat. It also makes sense that boat has a cargo of fleeces from the sheep sheering going on in the middleground. It also looks like an animal stood in front of both figures ( a sheep perhaps makes sense?).

2. The Spring merry making going on in the top right of the picture looks like a music festival with people dancing underneath and on top of a circular mezzanine structure. There is a cellist on the right, a man with a lute lying on the floor with his lady friend holding up a glass and another man upright with possibly a lute. He has also been interpreted by some to be pouring drinks from a flagon, however, his right leg position suggests he is sat on some sort of stool to help him play the lute. 

 

This section started in July 2023 and was completed December 2023. 

 

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Perhaps it was because this was the first time in over 450 years that a full scale version of Bruegel's "Spring" had been seen or because it stood up so well in its own right that there was reticence to move to the colour stage. Enough in fact to delay the project by a further nine months. 

 

The Colour Stage.

So, eventually in late September 24 the project restarted with the colour stage. 

In order to keep as close to Bruegel's working methods , we decided to restrict the colour palette to paints he would have had available to him. So no cadmium based paints for example and only using substitutes where they were no longer currently freely available. 

The pallette we used consisted of the following : 

Titanium White (substitute for Lead White) , Yellow Ochre, Naples Yellow (substitute for Tin Yellow), Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Vermillion, and Prussian Blue (substitute for Azurite). All other colours eg green, purple etc were then made from this palette by mixing the relevant coloured paints. 

Thin glazes of the appropriate colour mixed with linseed oil were used to add the colour onto the picture allowing the tone to shine through.

Before any painting research into Bruegel's other paintings and versions his son did some years was undertaken to help decide how clothing worked and plan the colour scheme. The use of Vermillion red was used through the middle ground to lead the viewers eye though the painting. 

This phase began in September 24 and was finished in February 25. 

 

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Project Issues

• The size and construction of the panel meant that it was difficult to move and handle. Despite puting batons on the back there was still some movement in the planks whenever it was handled. This was mitigated, curtesy of Tony Woof, by permanently siting the picture in one place for the duration of its development.

• Accurate interpretation of the pen and Ink original 

• Deciding what colours to use and understanding how the clothing worked on the figures.

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Time Line 

• Project start : December 22

• Construction of panel : March 23

• Graphite pencil layer complete : May 23

• Outline imprimatura complete : July 23

• Tonal Layer complete : December 23

• Colour Layer start : September 24

• Colour layer complete : February 25

 

Acknowledgements

• Joe Mcgillivray - Project Initiator and visionary

• Contributing WKAG members 

• Tony Woof : Hosting and panel construction

• Dave Walsh : Project drive

• Pieter Bruegel the Elder - for his inspiration and genius.

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The Six Seasons 

 

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Time Lapse Development

 

 

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As an aside, Bruegel completed all six of the Seasons pictures in a single year which is impressive given the two and a bit years it took us to complete the Spring picture. However on reflection, from the initial drawing stage it took around180 hours to complete the picture. Expressed in 8 hours days, this translates to approximately 25 days effort. ie 1 month. So in reality Bruegal had more than enough time to complate all six pictures including time for holidays no doubt.