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Art: The Peasant Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Peasant Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is a depiction of the peasant life in the late 1500’s. He was particularly interested in how they lived, dated, married, ate, dressed and relaxed. It was a life that fascinated him but also was part of his very core existence. To Bruegel it was a simple life that focused on the day’s happenings and seemed a natural existence connected to nature.  The scene is lively and the painter is well known for his humanist pictures. The people within the painting are larger than life which appears to embolden their lives. Bruegel seems to be trying to make distance from himself and his peasant background by painting the figures oafish by nature.   He moved his way up the social ladder and continued to be fascinated by the way the peasants lived due to his deep connection with them.  The painting shows a Madonna on the tree that appears to be ignored as the peasants engage in their fun. The life of the present, now, and materialism has ma

Over 1,400 Stolen Famous Art Pieces Found in Munich

Village Girl with Goat-Lost Art Piece Authorities found long lost art by famous masters such as Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse and Otto Dix in a Munich apartment. It is believed that such works were stolen during the Nazi Era and disappeared into the ashes of history. The total value of the 1,400 pieces seized could easily be over a billion dollars sparking interest from a variety of groups and parties.  Most of the works are well preserved and part of the list called “degenerative art” that the regime felt were not in alignment with local culture. Such art was often either removed or destroyed in an attempt to provide what was seen at the time as a purer culture. Some artists were fined or jailed for breaking cease and desist orders on their painting activities.  When art was seized sometimes it was sold overseas for hundreds of millions of dollars. The regime would hire someone to help sell the art and remove it from the country. It is believed th