Brill or Bril, Flemish painters, brothers. Mattys Brill [key], 1550–83, went to Rome early in his career and executed frescoes for Gregory XIII in the Vatican. Paul Brill, 1554–1626, probably studied in Rome with his brother and succeeded him at the Vatican. His calm, well-observed landscapes exercised a great influence on Italian art. His works after 1600 show his mature style; the landscape elements are arranged like stage-set wings receding diagonally into depth, his brushwork is broader, and his atmospheric effects refined. His frescoes and oils are found in many Roman churches. Martyrdom of St. Clement (Vatican), against a seascape, is perhaps his best-known work. He often painted small landscapes on copper.
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