Peter Paul Rubens
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Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a noted Flemish painter and designer and the most influential figure of Baroque art in northern Europe. He was born in 1577 and died in 1640. He began his career in Antwerp, and his masters were three fairly undistinguished painters of that city--Tobias Verhaecht, Adam van Noort, and Otto van Veen. The latter of the three had studied in Rome and could offer the young painter knowledge of the world outside Antwerp, and he did indeed infuse the young man with a desire to visit Italy, which he did in 1600. Little of Rubens's early work survives, and the style we know was formed largely in Italy, where he remained until 1608 and worked for Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, who sent the young painter to most of the principal art centers of Italy to make copies for the ducal collection. As was true of most painters of the Renaissance era, Rubens drew on classical mythology, a legacy of the revival of learning that took place in that period, and an examination of how Rubens used mythology and mythological references as well as Christian references in his works may suggest how he changed his use of such symbolism over time. Rubens produced over 1,000 paintings in a number of different genres. He was extremely well-read, and his interests ranged from Stoic philosophy to the study of rare gems. he traveled widely and examined and often copied the art of other eras. He also had a strong political bent and worked for many years using his painting as a
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great discoveries of his predecessors. The first step was to learn everything he could from them through their works.
Rubens would often reshape the mythology of both Christian and pagan sources to produce a more dramatic image. He was also given to depicting violent action and beautiful women, often at one and the same time, as can be seen in his St. George and the Dragon (c. 1606-1610), depicting a Christian allegory that was very popular. He would often draw on Old Testament sources for material. The Defeat of Sennacherib (1616-1618) is one of his most exciting such depictions and tells the story of King Sennacherib, whose Assyrian warriors conquered all the cities of Judah and then attacked the holy city of Jerusalem. The city was assisted by the angel of the Lord.
There is a contrast evident in the way Rubens treated religious subjects and Classical subjects, and it was common for artists of the period to be called upon to celebrate the Christian faith in ecclesiastical buildings and the sensuality and poetry of Classical mythology in secular buildings. On the one hand, Rubens was notable for the degree of clarity which he brought to the attitude of Counter Reformation humanists, who admired the ancients for the
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Approximate Word count = 1773
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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