The Tower of Babel (Bruegel)
The Tower of Babel is the title of several paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The in the First Book of Moses (Genesis 11:1-9 EU) is shown outlined companies in the people to build a tower "whose top may reach unto heaven rich " (see Tower of Babel ). Bruegel painted at least two versions of this theme.
Viennese version
The best-known of the two versions, the so-called "Big Tower ", was created in 1563 and is on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Representation
Bruegel has chosen a representation, as is typical for this Bible story in European art history. Shown is the enormity of the building, the cost of labor and construction equipment used.
By Bruegel's visit to Rome in 1553, his performance is obviously influenced by the Colosseum. The upstream columns, the horizontal structure of the building, the double arcades position of the whorls and the two-storey wall structure suggest that he was a beacon to the Tower of Babel in this construction of the Romans. Seven floors have already been built, the eighth floor is under construction. On the ramp, which moves the building, there are masons, cranes, hoists with running wheels, as they were used to during his lifetime as well as Bruegel's ladders and scaffolding.
The surrounding landscape, the building is obviously influenced by the Flemish countryside. Are discernible in the distance the sea and mountains. The walled city, reminiscent of Antwerp, located behind the tower. Your harbor is full of ships.
Most of the people depicted in the painting are tiny. There are mainly artisans and masons, who are busily engaged in the construction of the building. Much larger than this is the builder, Nimrod King and his retinue. The kowtow to perform the masons before him, points to the oriental roots of history.
Interpretation
The painting is considered as an indication of the transience of all earthly things and the futility of all human endeavor to imitate God as Creator. Although the building seems to succeed, but it bends slightly toward the city. There is little evidence that this building is permanent. The failure is already slowly.
Rotterdam version
Also on 1563 dates the version that is in the Boijmans van Beuningen to see museum in Rotterdam, the so-called " Small Tower ".
The painting selects a larger scale than the Vienna version, the people in these pictures are hardly recognizable. In its basic mood it seems more threatening by the color scheme and the weather conditions.
While with the Vienna picture the accusation of hubris meets the secular power in the form of King Nimrod, he directed the Rotterdam version against the Roman Catholic Church: Almost exactly at the geometric center of the painting there is a procession with red canopy, the windings of the building up below.
More versions
Maybe there were other versions of the painting, which are no longer preserved. So a Bruegel painting entitled mentions " Tower of Babel" in about a guarantee list of the Antwerp merchant Niclaes Jonghelinck of 1565, without that this could be identified as one of the two mentioned. Another rather small -scale version ( 75.5 x 105 cm, oil on oak) located in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, but this was painted by Marten van Valckenborch ( 1535-1612 ).
Subsequent acquisitions
Due to the special similarity is to assume that the design of Minas Tirith in the movie Lord of the Rings back to an inspiration through this painting.