Flemish master landscape painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder was among the first to depict peasants in a time when his peers were painting royalty and religion during the High Renaissance. Bruegel reportedly disguised himself to blend in at fairs, festivals, and in daily pursuits. Undercover in this way, he observed his subject matter up close and personal in scenes from what today would translate to reality TV. Bruegel was renowned, among other treasures, for his 1565 winter scene painting The Hunters in the Snow, also known as The Return of the Hunters. Set in the frozen countryside, both hunters and dogs appear defeated, returning to their village nearly empty-handed from a hunt which clearly tested their resolve. The trees in the snowy foreground lead down to a classical village scene, framed by a mountain landscape in the background. Surviving for centuries, this is one of the Bruegel artworks that is still on view today.
