Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was one of the most successful and influential painters from the Baroque era. His creations are full of light and motion, very colorful, and infused with emotions. He managed to realize his artistic talent in many areas of life what eventually led to his social and economic success. While we know him today mostly by his paintings (many of which he didn't even touch), he also worked as a designer, engraver, illustrator, etc. in numerous fields from architecture to the tapestry.
This is one of the numerous self-portraits by Peter Paul Rubens. They are clearly showing his skills.
There are more than 1500 works signed by Rubens all over the world. The biggest and probably finest collection of his paintings belongs to Prado, Madrid, but we can also find many of his masterpieces in the National Gallery of London, Louvre, Paris, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, etc.
Massacre of the Innocents, circa 1612, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
Massacre of the Innocents, circa 1638, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Peter Rubens was born in the German province Siegen where his family escaped from Antwerp where times for Calvinists were very dangerous. He moved to Antwerp as already eleven years old when his father died and his mother converted to Catholicism. His education was exceptional - first knowledge came from his father who was a lawyer and a merchant, after that he studied Latin, Greek, and classical literature. He was fluent in Flemish, French, German, Italian, and Latin.
As a teenager, he became a page to Countess of Ligne-Arenberg what helped him to develop the right manners for mingling among the courtiers in different courts in Europe. His first art teacher was Tobias Verhaecht, but more important were Mannerists Adam van Noort and especially Otto van Veen, a court painter for Spanish governors in Brussels. Not only by technique and style but more as a role model.
A crucial point in the career of young Rubens was probably his service at Vicenzo I Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantova. He got there after a pretty predictable path, characteristic for young aspiring artists of those times. First, he traveled to Italy to study masters like Tintoretto, Titian, and Veronese in Venice. We can clearly see the influence of compositions and colors by all of them.
Garden of Love, cca 1633, Museo Prado, Madrid, Spain
At Mantua, he worked under the patronage of the Duke, who arranged numerous portrait paintings for him, which gave him a steady income and enough flexibility to visit several other interesting places in Italy, like Florence, Genoa, and Rome, where he further studied old masters. The art of Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Raphael, and da Vinci inspired him for several important works. The Gonzagas also used his linguistic and diplomatic skills to send him on missions to other European courts.
Elevation of the Cross (aka Raising of the Cross), Triptych, circa 1638, Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium
Descent from the Cross, central part of the triptych, around 1614, Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium
In 1608 Rubens returned to Antwerp where he became the court painter to Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella. Especially the latter became his patron for years to come. His initial reason to return was his mother's illness, but she died before he finished his projects in Italy and got to Antwerp. He established his own studio with assistants and married Isabella Brant, the eldest daughter of city official Jan Brant. All these achievements strengthened his position in the social circles of Northern Netherlands even further.
Lot and his Daughters, 1615, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Rubens got several important commissions from churches and painted such masterpieces as The Raising of the Cross and The Descent of the Cross in this era. He got the nickname 'The prince of the princes'. For Louis XIII he made a cycle of tapestry, more than 20 canvasses for Marie de Medici, and monumental Piece and War for Charles I. His wife gave birth to three kids before she died of the Bubonic plague being only 34 years old.
A portrait of his wife Isabella around 1620, Cleveland, USA
Rubens felt into crisis after her death and increased the number of his diplomatic travels. Courts in France and Spain relied heavily on his communication skills and his activities definitely helped to bring peace between Spain and the future state of the Netherlands.
Oil painting by Rubens presenting his second wife and their first son
After a few years, he met his second wife to be. He had five more kids with Helena Fourment and for a while focused more on mythological themes. The Garden of Love and The Judgement of Paris are fine examples of this creative period. All in all, he made about 15 hundred paintings which were most often made in collaboration with other artists.
Three Graces, circa 1630, Museo del Prado, Madrid
Medusa (aka Head of Medusa), circa 1617, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria; there is another version in Moravian Gallery, Brno, Slovakia
Venus and Adonis, circa 1635, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Venus at a mirror, circa 1615, Liechtenstein Museum, Vaduz, Liechentstein
His works can be roughly divided into three groups:
- Works entirely done by Rubens.
- Works partly done by Rubens and others by others. He often painted only faces and hands.
- Works only supervised by Rubens.
The Fall of the Damned, around 1620, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Peter Paul Rubens died of heart failure, caused by long-term gout which is diminished by his ability to work in later years. Several of his assistants later achieved great success on their own. Most known of them were Anthony van Dyck (1899-1941) and Frans Snyders (1579-1657). Rubens' sense of realism and poses led to one of his signature characteristics best shown at curvaceous female bodies which are still known as 'Rubenesque'.
Resources:
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/