A Storm in the River Schelde with a View of Antwerp

Nearly two thirds of this stormy marine view is devoted to the study of rows of waves receding into the background. The variety of strokes, ranging from dashes and squiggles to long straight lines, is typical of Bruegel’s nuanced use of the pen. The city in the distance is probably Antwerp. Representing death and municipal justice, the island with its gallows seems to have been imaginary and serves here to underscore man’s fragile hold on life.