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Who was Paul Rubens?
Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was probably the most versatile
and most forward looking of all the Old Masters and
one of the only artists genuinely deserving of the moniker
'Renaissance man'. Not just a great painter, he was
also a gifted diplomat who brokered peace deals between Spain
and the Netherlands, and between Spain and its arch enemy
England - indeed, he was even knighted by both Charles
I of England and Philip IV of Spain. He was an
architect of vision who introduced Italian Baroque
style to Flanders as well as being extremely well read - he
exchanged ideas with many of Europe's leading minds of the
time. Rubens was undisputedly a polymath.
Rubens' father fled Flanders during the reformation, after
converting from Catholicism to Calvinism, to Germany where
Pieter was born. Following his father's death, Rubens and
his mother returned to Flanders where he learnt to
paint before traveling to Italy where he soaked up Renaissance
art and architecture. Inspired, Rubens went on to create
almost 3000 paintings in his 40-year career. His subject matter
began as epic religious scenes in aid of the Flemish papal
revival, moving onto royal portraiture (he traveled around
Europe to many of the great seventeenth century courts while
later in his career, when he'd made his fortune, he painted
landscapes and portraits for pleasure.
Exploring Rubens' Antwerp Today
There's plenty of scope for exploring the Rubens legacy in
his home town of Antwerp. Three places that should figure
high on your list are:
- Rubenshuis is a complex arranged around an inner
courtyard. The Baroque portico between the courtyard and the
Flemish-Italian Renaissance garden was designed by the master
himself. After Rubens' death (1640), the complex changed hands
several times. It was purchased in 1937, virtually in ruins,
and restoration followed. It's supposedly a very fine evocation
of the seventeenth century reality. The museum houses ten
works by Rubens including his self-portrait, Adam and Eve
in Paradise, Henry IV in the Battle for Paris and a portrait
of Anthony Van Dyck (one of his pupils) as a boy. Many
objets d'art and utensils are also shown which either
belonged to him or date from his time, including a still life
by Frans Snyders, The Art Room of Cornelis van der Geest
by Willem Van Heacht, Mercury and Argos by Jacob
Jordaens, an anonymous portrait of Rubens' second wife
Helena Fourment, Antwerp cabinets, and also a chair
which Rubens used as dean of his guild.
- The Cathedral of our Lady contains two world-famous
triptychs - The Raising of the Cross and The Descent
from the Cross are considered by art critics to be the
ultimate depictions of Christ's suffering. Weather permitting,
the high altar with The Ascension of the Virgin is
illuminated by the midday sun.
- Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Royal Museum
of Fine Arts) is a Mecca for Rubens with 20 paintings exhibited
alongside other seventeenth century baroque masters. The impressive
range of art exhibited runs from fourteenth century to contemporary,
including a good section on fifteenth century Flemish primitives. |
