The Beekeepers and the Birdnester 1568

Editor: This is "The Beekeepers and the Birdnester," a drawing by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from 1568. It's rendered in ink, pencil and charcoal. I am really drawn to the starkness of the materials, how they speak to the everyday life it seems to depict. What are your thoughts when you look at this? Curator: Considering Bruegel’s meticulous process using humble materials – pencil, charcoal, and ink – what does that say about value and labor in 16th-century Flanders? We see beekeepers in protective gear, clearly engaged in labor. The birdnester, scaling the tree – what is *his* work? How does it differ? Is it productive, destructive, or something else? Editor: That's a compelling way to view it! The contrast is definitely present. Perhaps one contributes to the community while the other disrupts it? Curator: Exactly! Consider the production of honey, a valuable commodity. And those protective outfits...What materials were used to make those, and who created them? Also, the stolen eggs represent a different sort of resource, right? Who gets to benefit from natural resources, and how? Are their fair systems of labour? These are question raised by the materials of both the drawing and the practices that they display. Editor: I never thought of it that way before – the medium reflecting the message through labor and access to resources! It adds a whole new layer to understanding Bruegel's commentary. Curator: Seeing the material connections between labor, environment, and value adds so much to our understanding. Editor: Thanks so much! This really gave me something to think about regarding materials. Curator: You're welcome! Now you understand the importance of material culture.