Born and trained in Antwerp, Paul Bril went to Rome in 1575 and became the leading landscape painter in the city. His earliest works there were small highly finished forest scenes in the Flemish manner but his style was transformed by the study of contemporary Italian landscape painting, especially the work of Annibale Carracci.
Bril painted frescoes and often collaborated with figure painters. His mature works were idealised landscapes showing a close observation of nature and understanding of aerial perspective.
Paul Bril
about 1554 - 1626
Paintings by Paul Bril
In the Metamorphoses, a poem by the Roman writer Ovid, Callisto was one of the virginal companions of the goddess Diana. She was raped by Jupiter, ruler of the gods, and became pregnant. One day, while out hunting, Diana and her companions decided to bathe in a stream. Callisto was forced to undr...