Great pictures of the Brueghel as it goes on display at York Art Gallery

The display of the Brueghel opened at York Art Gallery yesterday - and you can see it there until Christmas.


Here are a few pics from the opening:

All images  © Kippa Matthews
Impressed? Please donate and help us keep this painting in the public arena - for all to see.

As the painting makes its way back to Yorkshire, we take a look at people's reactions to the work and campaign...

"In comparison to the tens of millions currently paid for the work of some of our contemporary artists ($200 million for Warhol works alone last week in auction) - £2.7 million seems like a bargain for such a stunning masterpiece - and a great investment for the nation."


"Join the Art Fund and then you can help local and national collections acquire works of art such as this Brueghel (by the way it is painted by the Younger Peter not his much more famous father). And if the works of art are shown in a National Trust house and you are an Art Fund member, you get free admission. A win-win situation as they say!"


"This painting is a splendid example of the liveliness and variety which is such a feature of Flemish art at its best."


"One of the greatest artists of all time, Brueghel the Younger. Whether it is more accessible at Nostell Priory is of course another question, but personally I take the view that treasures should be available throughout the United Kingdom, and not just at the obvious places such as London, which is saturated."


"I really enjoyed seeing the fine detail of the artwork, I do hope they get enough money to install it in Nostell Priory."


"This afternoon my post consisted of a postcard from New York City and an A3 poster of Brueghel the Younger's The Procession to Calvary."


"Clive applauds an appeal at the National Gallery to rescue an outstanding piece of art for the nation"

"Instead of ringing x-factor or strictly this week, why not donate to a cause that will hopefully bring pleasure for many more years to millions."


Are you inspired to help us save the Brueghel? Please donate.

The Guardian's Jonathan Jones: 10 things to look out for in the Brueghel...

"A moving, disturbing, unforgettable work, The Procession to Calvary hangs in Nostell Priory in Yorkshire, but its owner, Lord St ­Oswald, has decided to put it on the market. The National Trust and the Art Fund are campaigning to raise £2.7m to buy the work and keep it in Britain and on public view. So far, £800,000 has been raised, but the ­deadline is Christmas. Is it worth it? Yes."

 

And here are 10 things to look out for...

1. Not exactly Jerusalem: the scene depicts not some faraway biblical city but a familiar place to Brueghel’s contemporaries: Brussels or Antwerp

2. Every detail a little miracle: The superbly observed little details are the essence of the Brueghel style.

3. Unmoved bystanders: We are made to feel included as one of the painting’s casual bystanders but are we as unmoved by Christ’s suffering?

4. Beauty framing violence: Despite the painting’s horrific narrative it is set within a beautifully mapped landscape.

5. The Colourless Christ: Christ is not the centre of attention here – he is part of a sprawling human canvas.

6. Gleaming sentinels of death: The sinister contemporary military figures guide our eyes to the place of execution on the hill.

7. The Doomed as Spectacle: Brueghel deliberately sets out to shock by depicting the transportation of the thieves as a spectacle.

8. Rural Boredom: With the depiction of two children on the hillside, Brueghel shows how this terrible event could provide a moment of relief from daily rural poverty and boredom.

9. Hill of Gallows: In depicting the execution site with gallows and gibbets, Brueghel draws parallels with contemporary public executions held outside the city gates.

10. All-embracing vision: British public collections own few Brueghels – in particular we are lacking examples of great epic works such as this.

Read the full article and donate to the campaign.