New York Magazine - USA (2020-03-30)

march30–april12, 2020 | newyork 61

touchesinWesternpainting.Gettingclose

toa Bruegelislike runningyoureyes

throughcombedhay—rough,textured

intoinfinity, everymicrodetailfilledwith

energy. Bruegelisn’t complicatedenough

formostscholars.It turnsout,however,

that“notcomplicated”is medicineforour

complextimes.Bruegelcommunicates

directlytothecerebralcortex.Hiswork

isn’t a palliativeorany ideaof“thebeauti-

ful.” Ratherit is a confirmationofthefun-

damentalstructuresofseeing,thinking,

feeling,fearing,hoping,takingpleasurein

thelittlecomforts,andintuitingthings

biggerthanallofus.Like viruses.

In my first uncertain days of self-

isolationwithmy wife,whoisinseveral

veryhigh-riskcategoriesforthecoronavi-

rus,I didn’t tellheraboutkeepingthis

paintingwithinme.It wasa secret garden.

I wasafraidI mightnotgetthesameview

ofthisimagewithsomeoneelse“looking”

atit withme.WhenI toldherI waswriting

aboutthispictureofnohope,nomorality,

onlyextinguishingcatharsisthat makesno

senseandwherethereisnocontrol,she

understoodthisandsaidshe’d beenthink-

ingofherowntalismanicpicturestoo.

I wouldneveraskherwhat herimages

are.

Thesestrangedays,I nowspendtime

“beinginside”oftheBruegel.Noneof

whatI seeisdepressing,scary,sad,or

chilling.I don’t cowerinfearorfeelhar-

rowedwhenI lookatit.Thepaintingis a

grand,sort ofgorgeousoceanthat turns

out to have alwaysbeen there, even

though I never knew it.These days,

I batheinitsrevelatorywaters. ■

Bruegel, The Triumph of Death, ca. 1562