THE RICH NATURE OF “VELVET” BRUEGHEL

The rich nature of Velvet Brueghel is the title of a short movie that the illustrious art historian Corrado Maltese created in 1957 on the cycle of the Four Elements painted by the Flemish master at the beginning of the 17th century and still preserved in the prestigious Roman collection of the Doria Pamphilj. The critical and at the same time didactic theatrical figurative art thesis consisted in identifying a real path or a path for the observer's eye in front of the immobile complex of the painted image, which in this case was as small as full of significant elements: a world full of details and minute details concerning plants and especially animals seen individually or in small groups. Starting from that singular experiment, the research takes place following two prevalent and interrelated stands: 1. deepening of the material knowledge of the works through non-invasive investigations, in order to obtain information on the specific characteristics of the executive technique as objective and homogeneous as possible; 2. identification and classification of individual animal species and plant organisms. The goal is to achieve an adherent and appropriate critical scientific and aesthetic characterization of the works, capable of incisively asserting the commitment and results achieved by Jan in such a vital and profound representation of the natural world and, the countless varieties of animal species.