''The Gloomy Day'' is an oil on wood painting by Pieter Bruegel in 1565. The painting is one in a series of six works, five of which are still extant, that depict different times of the year. The painting is currently in the collection of the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...

, located in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The scene is set around February and March, portrayed by the bleak atmosphere and leafless trees. The paper crown around the boy's head and the eating of

waffles A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...

are references to the

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

time prior to

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. The sky, the ships crashing against the shoreline, and the children preparing themselves in the foreground suggest that harsh weather is coming. Bruegel is famous for his paintings of scenery and nature. Most of his paintings of the countryside tell a story or have a moral message.Timeline History Textbook The surviving ''Months of the Year cycle'' are: File:Pieter Bruegel de Oude - De sombere dag (vroege voorjaar).jpg, ''The Gloomy Day'' File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder- The Harvesters - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Harvesters'' File:Die Heuernte.jpg, ''

The Hay Harvest ''The Hay Harvest'' (also known as ''Haymaking''), is an oil painting on wood panel by Pieter Bruegel (c. 1525–1569), executed in 1565. The most important of the Lobkowicz family's Northern pictures, it was hung in the dining room of the Antwe ...

'' File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Hunters in the Snow (Winter) - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

The Hunters in the Snow ''The Hunters in the Snow'' ( nl, Jagers in de Sneeuw), also known as ''The Return of the Hunters'', is a 1565 oil-on-wood painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Northern Renaissance work is one of a se ...

'' File:Pieter Bruegel d. Ä. 103b.jpg, ''

The Return of the Herd ''The Return of the Herd'' is an oil on wood painting by Pieter Bruegel in 1565. The painting is one in a series of six works (High Springtime is presumed lost) that depict different seasons. The painting is currently in the collection of the Ku ...

'' File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Spring, 1565 - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Spring'', 1565,

References

External links

* * 1565 paintings Paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder Paintings in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Maritime paintings {{16C-painting-stub