Rubens
Dana
1640 was the most renowned northern European artist of his day, and is now
widely recognized as one of the foremost painters in Western art history.
By completing the fusion of the realistic tradition of Flemish painting
with the imaginative freedom and classical themes of Italian Renaissance
painting, he fundamentally revitalized and redirected northern European
painting.
Rubens's upbringing mirrored the intense religious strife of his age--a
fact that was to be of crucial importance in his artistic career. His
father, an ardently Calvinist Antwerp lawyer, fled in 1568 to Germany to
escape religious persecution, but after his death (1587) the family moved
back to Antwerp, where Peter Paul was raised a Roman Catholic and received
his early training as an artist and a courtier. By the age of 21 he was a
master painter whose aesthetic and religious outlook led him to look to
Italy as the place to complete his education. Upon arriving (1600) in
Venice, he fell under the spell of the radiant color and majestic forms of
Titian, whose work had a formative influence on Rubens's mature style.
During Rubens's 8 years (1600-08) as court painter to the duke of Mantua,
he assimilated the lessons of the other Italian Renaissance masters and
made (1603) a journey to Spain that had a profound impact on the
development of Spanish baroque art. He also spent a considerable amount of
time in Rome, where he painted altarpieces for the churches of Santa Croce
di Gerusalemme (1602; now in Hopital du Petit-Paris, Grasse, France) and
the Chiesa Nuova (1607; now in Musee de Peinture et Sculpture, Grenoble,
France), his first widely acknowledged masterpieces. His reputation
established, Rubens returned (1608) to Antwerp following the death of his
mother and quickly became the dominant artistic figure in the Spanish
Netherlands.
In the mature phase of his career, Rubens either executed personally or
supervised the execution of an enormous body of works that spanned all
areas of painting and drawing. A devout Roman Catholic, he imbued his many
religious paintings with the emotional tenor of the Counter-Reformation.
This aggressively religious stance, along with his deep involvement in
public affairs, lent Rubens's work a conservative and public cast that
contrasts sharply with the more private and secular paintings of his great
Dutch contemporary, Rembrandt. But if his roots lay in Italian classical
art and in Roman Catholic dogma, Rubens avoided sterile repetition of
academic forms by injecting into his works a lusty exuberance and almost
frenetic energy. Glowing color and light that flickers across limbs and
draperies infuse spiraling compositions such as The Descent from the Cross
(1611; Antwerp Cathedral) with a characteristically baroque sense of
movement and tactile strength.
A love of monumental forms and dynamic effects is most readily apparent in
the vast decorative schemes he executed in the 1620s, including the famous
21-painting cycle (1622-25; Louvre, Paris), chronicling the life of Marie
de Medicis, originally painted for the Luxembourg Palace. In order to
complete these huge commissions, Rubens set up a studio along the lines of
Italian painters' workshops, in which fully qualified artists executed
paintings from the master's sketches. Rubens's personal contribution to the
over 2,000 works produced by this studio varied considerably from work to
work. Among his most famous assistants were Anthony van Dyck and Frans
SNYDERS.
Rubens's phenomenal productivity was interrupted from time to time by
diplomatic duties given him by his royal patrons, Archduke Ferdinand and
Archduchess Isabella, for whom he conducted (1625) negotiations aimed at
ending the war between the Spanish Netherlands and the Dutch Republic and
helped conclude (1629-30) a peace treaty between England and Spain. Charles
I of England was so impressed with Rubens's efforts that he knighted the
Flemish painter and commissioned his only surviving ceiling painting, The
Allegory of War and Peace (1629; Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace,
London).
During the final decade of his life, Rubens turned more and more to
portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes. These later works, such as
Landscape with the Chateau of Steen (1636; National Gallery, London), lack
the turbulent drama of his earlier paintings but reflect a masterful
command of detail and an unflagging technical skill. Despite recurring
attacks of arthritis, he remained an unusually prolific artist throughout
his last years, which were spent largely at his estate, Chateau de Steen.
Dana
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KERR...@aol.com
I guess <ahem> AOL (everyone's favorite) missed this one, but I noticed
Erica's response and had to look up the original post. I would love to
pick your brain about a research paper I'm doing on Mapplethorpe
right now, since you obviously (?) have an interest in art (along with
anyone else who would be interested in a quick survey). I'll let you
know when I have my questions ready.
I will add about Rubens that in 1630 he married a 16 y/o named Helene
Fourment (he was 53 at the time) and after that his style became imbued
with a lyrical tenderness. See what love can do? :)
KJ*
In article <38c2f4ef....@news.flash.net>,
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Jim
>I will add about Rubens that in 1630 he married a 16 y/o named Helene
>Fourment (he was 53 at the time) and after that his style became imbued
>with a lyrical tenderness. See what love can do? :)
That *could* be exhaustion !
-----
To reply by email, you must know that I am not a flasher
Tim McGaha
>I will add about Rubens that in 1630 he married a 16 y/o named Helene
>Fourment (he was 53 at the time) and after that his style became imbued
>with a lyrical tenderness. See what love can do? :)
I saw a self-portrait he did of himself and his wife. She was a cutie, all
right. ;)
Tim McGaha (mcga...@aol.com)
State-Certified Mad Scientist, and Rocket Jockey In Training
"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."
-- Col. G. A. Custer, 7th U.S. Cavalry, 25 June 1876
Victor Wooster
Dana wrote in message <38c2f4ef....@news.flash.net>...
>The Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, b. June 28, 1577, d. May 30,
>
yea yea yea, but he had nothing on Caravaggio. Judith Beheading Holofernes
is my wallpaper right now.
Vic
The Wizard of Oz
>
> The Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, b. June 28, 1577, d. May 30,
> 1640 was the most renowned northern European artist of his day, and is now
in his latest reincarnation, known to kids as "Pee Wee Herman"!!!
(real name: Paul Rubens)
Sorry Dana, couldn't help it, had to do it! <grin>
Great post! I learned a few things I had forgotten about from my Art
Appreciation class at TCU, last century! I agree with Bugman, I prefer a
more petite lady, but I did go through a period of life that had me
leaning towards the "Rubenesque" ladies, because that was the style,
back then. I think Twiggy was the Genesis of the Kate Moss school of
fashion models. Remember pictures of Marilyn Monroe? She was a classic,
modern version of the "Rubens" girl.
I used to love history, but have gotten too wrapped up to do much
reading like that, anymore.
Thanks, Dana.
--
Regards,
The Wiz
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