He was not shy about the “triumph of the flesh”, the magnificent forms that adorned his immortal canvases. He portrayed mythological characters brightly, richly, playfully; for him they were almost earthly creatures, enjoying life. His works adorn our Hermitage, the legendary Louvre, and Munich's Alte Pinakothek.
Biography of Peter Paul Rubens
Italian apprenticeship
Peter Paul Rubens, a Fleming who was born in Germany (it was there that the “disgraced” father of the future painter Jan was forced to hide), managed to return to the homeland of his ancestors only in 1587 (at the age of ten). Jan Rubens died in a foreign land, Maria came to Antwerp, already a widow with children.
Peter took his first drawing lessons from Dutch painters, known only for the fact that it was from them that he learned the basics great artist. But an in-depth study of the basics of craftsmanship took place with Rubens already in Italy, where the High Renaissance flourished. He lived in this sunny country for 8 years, starting in 1600. He worked as a court artist for the Duke of Gonzago. And he himself absorbed the luxury of Italian landscapes and the ingenious techniques of the geniuses of the Renaissance.
In Rome, Peter Paul is delighted with the works of Raphael, da Vinci and Michelangelo, in Venice he creates copies of paintings by the famous Veronese and Titian. In addition, he carries out diplomatic assignments for his patron (he was then the Duke of Mantua).
Patronage of the Infanta
Thus, it is no longer a green youth who returns to his native land, but an accomplished artist. He was treated kindly by Infanta Isabella (then ruling in Flanders) and her husband Albert. This was a period of truce between powerful Spain and Holland, so Flanders was recovering from bloody battles. And the Spanish Isabella was a good governor, she understood what her goals were, she favored representatives of art, and Rubens became a favorite among them.
The works of that period deal mainly with religious themes. The painter also created many portraits of royalty.
It is interesting that the characters of mythology became beautiful and cheerful people in the Fleming’s canvases. Catholicism did not welcome such methods, but the patronage of the powerful helped Rubens avoid friction with the church.
The best works of Peter Paul Rubens
The works “Bacchanalia” and “The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus” are imbued with eroticism.
The painting “Union of Earth and Water” is very famous in our country, replicated in many reproductions and copies (the original is kept in the St. Petersburg Hermitage).
“The Battle of the Amazons” and “Diana’s Return from the Hunt” are dynamic and very colorful.
In the famous museum of St. Petersburg there is also the painting “Perseus and Andromeda”, which is considered the pinnacle of the work of Peter Paul Rubens (if we take specifically the ancient theme). A magnificent work of art!
The creative scope of the painter and his hard work amazed his contemporaries. He worked on portraits and hunting scenes with the same ease with which he painted paintings on religious themes or landscapes. He trained a whole galaxy of students in his own workshop - they helped him in his work, participating in the largest orders.
This, for example, was the series of panels for the Queen of France, Marie de' Medici. 21 scenes, previously discussed with the high-born customer, were to decorate the Luxembourg Palace. Allegories and ancient gods these works are successfully combined with contemporary artist costumes and surroundings.
In the same 20s XVII century born famous portraits, including “The Infanta Isabella’s Chambermaid” stored in the Hermitage.
He captured the image of his deceased wife in “Self-Portrait with Isabella Brant.” In 1626, when she died, it seemed that the world had collapsed for the master and his two children. He left Antwerp and took up secret diplomatic missions for the Infanta. But I couldn’t do it without creativity and last decade I dedicated my life only to him again.
Back to life
Rubens depicted rural idylls in “The Peasant Dance”, “Kermess”, “Landscape with a Rainbow” and “Return of the Reapers”.
Some will say that these works are reminiscent of the masterpieces of Pieter Bruegel. But the author himself would not object to such a comparison: he never hesitated to adopt the best techniques of his colleagues.
He remarried a friend’s daughter, Elena Furman, a girl much younger than the artist (she was only 16 at the time of the marriage). She became his model and muse.
We see her features in “Bathsheba” and “Andromeda”, the late masterpieces of the Fleming.
Elena smiles at us from the painting “Fur Coat”; she is also one of the “Three Graces”.
Gout prevented Rubens from creating; it gnawed at him more and more. At the age of 62, the genius passed away. He was buried with almost royal honors.
Peter Paul Rubens was born on June 28, 1577 in Siegen, in Westphalia (now part of Germany). He was the seventh child in the family of lawyer Jan Rubens. For a long time the Rubens family lived in Antwerp, but in 1568 they moved to Cologne. The fact is that around this time, Jan began to lean towards Protestantism, which caused strong discontent on the part of the local Catholic community. In Cologne, he received the position of secretary to Anna of Saxony, wife of William I of Orange.
Later, a love affair arose between Jan and Anna. When it opened, the elder Rubens' life was in great danger. His wife, Maria, saved him from death. She not only forgave her husband for his betrayal, but also managed to get him a more lenient sentence - Jan was exiled to the small town of Siegen. A few years after the birth of the future artist, the disgraced Jan Rubens received permission to return to Cologne. After his death (in 1587), Maria decided to return with her children to Antwerp. By that time she had three children left in her arms - ten-year-old Peter Paul, thirteen-year-old Philip and their older sister Blandina. The Rubens' eldest son, Jean Baptiste, had already left his father's house, and the other children died in infancy.
It is likely that Philip and Peter Paul received their initial knowledge of Latin from their educated father. In Antwerp they studied at a prestigious school where Greek was added to Latin. However, in 1590, the brothers left their studies to help their mother, who found herself in a difficult financial situation due to the fact that the remains of their father’s fortune had to be spent on the dowry of Blandina, who had married. Philip followed in his father's footsteps, and thirteen-year-old Peter Paul ended up as a page at the court of the Flemish princess.
His stay as a page turned out to be short-lived. In 1591, Rubens began to study painting. For some time he worked as an apprentice to Tobias Verhahat; about four years - with Adam van Noort; another two years with Otto van Wen. In 1598 he was finally accepted into the Guild of Artists of St. Luke. Rubens's first teachers were very mediocre painters, but studying with van Wen benefited Rubens. In addition to the fact that van Ven was simply distinguished by his education and broad outlook, he spent several years in Italy. Undoubtedly, the teacher's stories about Italian painting The Renaissance and ancient art kindled in young Rubens a passionate desire to see it all with his own eyes.
In May 1600, Peter Paul set out for the promised land of artists. He lived in Italy for eight years, which determined his future. It is unlikely that any of the Northern European painters who came to Italy in those years immersed themselves in Italian culture as deeply as Rubens. He learned the Italian language perfectly (he sometimes signed his letters in Italian: “Pietro Paolo Rubens”), and became an authoritative expert in the field of ancient art.
In Italy, Rubens received an invitation to enter the service of Vincenzo Gonzago, Duke of Mantua. The Duke, with the exception of a few of his portraits, did not commission Rubens original works. He wanted the artist to paint copies of famous paintings for his beautiful collection. This was not useless work; he allowed Rubens to work in Venice and Florence. In 1603, Vincenzo included the artist in the mission that delivered gifts to the Spanish king Philip III. The most important years in the Italian period were the years Rubens spent in Rome, where he lived in 1601-02 and 1605-08.
In October 1608, Rubens received information that his mother was seriously ill. He hurried to Antwerp, but he never had the chance to see his mother alive. The artist did not return to his beloved Italy; in Antwerp his artistic talents were treated with such reverence that Rubens considered it necessary to stay there. Soon he took down strong roots there. On September 23, 1609, Rubens received a position as court painter at the court of Archduke Albert and his wife Isabella, who then ruled Flanders on behalf of the Spanish crown, and ten days later he married 17-year-old Isabella Brant. The following year, Rubens finally settled in Flanders, buying a large house in Antwerp.
He came to Flanders at the most opportune moment, when changes in political life gave impetus to the rapid development of national art. Until 1609, Flanders (which would be more correctly called the Southern Netherlands, located in what is now Belgium) waged a long war with the Northern Netherlands, which had freed itself from Spanish rule. In 1609, the warring parties concluded a truce. Vigorous restoration of what had been damaged by the war began. First of all, this concerned temples.
Over the next decade, Rubens actively participated in this work, creating one amazing altarpiece after another. Among them, the triptychs “Hoisting the Cross” and “Descent from the Cross”, written for Cathedral Antwerp. In addition, Rubens received many other orders (including from abroad). So, in 1622-25, he wrote a large series dedicated to the life of Marie de Medici (mother of the French king Louis XIII) and decorating her palace in Paris. During this work, Rubens visited France three times.
The artist's life seemed cloudless. Fate dealt him the first cruel blow in 1623, when Rubens’ daughter died (he had two more sons), and the second in 1626, when his wife (“friend and indispensable assistant", as Rubens himself wrote in one of his letters).
Exhausted from mental suffering, Rubens entered the diplomatic service of Archduchess Isabella, who, after the death of her husband (since 1621), single-handedly ruled Flanders. Over the next four years, he traveled a lot to “get away,” as he himself said, “from everything that hurts the soul.” In 1628-29, on behalf of Isabella, Rubens was in Madrid; in 1629-30, he visited London, where he did a lot to restore peaceful relations between England and Spain (of which he was always quite proud). The English king Charles I was known for his love of art, and Rubens was easily able to find him mutual language. Not the least role here was played by the court experience of the artist-diplomat, his knowledge of languages, and his innate wisdom. In 1630, Charles knighted Rubens; At the same time, on behalf of the University of Cambridge, he was awarded an honorary diploma.
Having returned to Antwerp from this diplomatic trip, Rubens never left Flanders. He turned 53 years old. He was tormented by attacks of gout - however, this did not prevent him from remaining a surprisingly prolific artist, working incredibly quickly. Among the significant commissions Rubens received during this period is a series of ceiling paintings painted for the Banqueting Hall of King Charles I and sent to London in 1635. Let's add here a hundred mythological paintings for the Spanish king Philip IV (many of these paintings were painted by Rubens' students).
Happiness accompanied the artist in his personal life. In 1630 he married 16-year-old Helen Fourment, the niece of his first wife. This marriage, like the first, turned out to be very successful. Rubens and Helena had five children (their last daughter was born eight months after the artist’s death). In 1635, Rubens acquired the castle of Steen, located approximately 20 miles south of Antwerp. While living in the castle, he became very fond of painting local landscapes.
On May 30, 1640, while in Antwerp, Rubens unexpectedly died of a heart attack. The artist, who turned 62, was mourned by the entire city.
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).Self-portrait. 1623
Peter Paul Rubens (Dutch. Pieter Paul Rubens) June 28, 1577, Siegen - May 30, 1640, Antwerp) is a prolific Flemish painter who, like no one else, embodied the mobility, unbridled vitality and sensuality of European painting of the Baroque era. Rubens's work is an organic fusion of the traditions of Bruegelian realism with the achievements of the Venetian school. Although the fame of his large-scale works on mythological and religious themes thundered throughout Europe, Rubens was also a virtuoso master of portraits and landscapes.
“The history of art does not know a single example of such universal talent, such powerful influence, such indisputable, absolute authority, such creative triumph.”, one of his biographers wrote about Rubens.
Biography of Rubens:
Flemish painter, chapter Flemish school Baroque painter, architect, statesman and diplomat. He directed an extensive workshop that produced numerous monumental and decorative compositions on orders from the European aristocracy. He created a large number of works with his own hands: portraits, landscapes, allegories, mythological and religious paintings, monumental altar compositions for Antwerp churches. Rubens owns numerous drawings (sketches of heads and figures, images of animals, sketches of compositions). Rubens's work had a significant influence on the development of European art in the 17th-19th centuries.
Peter Paul Rubens was born in Germany, the son of a lawyer, an emigrant from Flanders. The artist came from an old family of Antwerp citizens; his father Jan Rubens, who was the mayor of the city of Antwerp during the reign of the Duke of Alba, was included in the proscription lists for his commitment to the reformation and was forced to flee abroad.
Self-portrait with friends Mantua. Falfraf Richartz Museum, Cologne
He first settled in Cologne, where he entered into a close relationship with Anna of Saxony, the wife of William the Silent; this relationship soon turned into a love affair, which was open. Jan was sent to prison, from where he was released only after much request and insistence from his wife, Maria Peipelinks.
The place of exile was assigned to him in the small town of the Duchy of Nassau, Siegen, in which he spent 1573 - 78 with his family, and where, probably, on June 28, 1577, the future great painter was born. Peter Rubens spent his childhood first in Siegen, and then in Cologne, and only in 1587, after the death of John Rubens, his family was able to return to their homeland, Antwerp.
Peter, along with his brother Philip, was sent to a Latin school, which gave the young men the basics liberal arts education. General education Rubens received the Jesuit College, after which he served as a page for the Countess of Lalang. At the age of 13, Peter begins to study painting. His teachers in this regard were Tobias Vergagt, Adam van Noort and Otto van Ven, who worked under the influence of the Italian Renaissance and managed, especially the latter, to instill in young artist love for everything antique. In 1598, Rubens was accepted as a free master into the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke, and in the spring of 1600, according to the long-established custom of Dutch painters, he went to complete his artistic education in Italy, where he studied the works of Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio.
Portrait of Peter Paul Rubens 1590
At the end of 1601, the artist was offered a position at the court of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. Rubens' duties included copying paintings by great masters. The artist remained in the Duke's service throughout his entire stay in Italy. On behalf of the Duke, he visited Rome and studied Italian masters there, after which, after living for some time in Mantua, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Spain.
Glory talented artist comes to him unexpectedly. At the request of the Duke, Rubens brings valuable gifts to the Spanish King Philip III. On the way, trouble happens: the rain hopelessly ruined several paintings performed by Pietro Facchetti, and Rubens has to paint his own in return. The paintings make an impression, and Rubens immediately receives his first order - from the first minister of the king, the Duke of Lerma. The composition (in which the Duke is depicted sitting astride a horse) is a resounding success, and Rubens's fame spreads throughout the European royal courts.
During the Italian period of his activity, Rubens, apparently, did not strive for independent creativity, but only went through a serious preparatory school, copying those of the paintings that he liked the most. At this time he performed only a small number independent work, of which we should name: “The Exaltation of the Cross”, “The Crown of Thorns” and “The Crucifixion” (1602; in the hospital in Grasse), “The Twelve Apostles”, “Heraclitus”. “Democritus” (1603, in the Madrid music. del Prado), “Transfiguration” (1604; in the music. Nancy), “Holy Trinity” (1604, in the Mantuan library), “Baptism” (in Antwerp), “St. Gregory" (1606, in the Grenoble Museum) and three paintings depicting the Mother of God with the saints standing before her (1608, in Chiesa Nuova, Rome).
Leda and the Swan, 1600. Stefan Mazon, New York, USA
The Deposition. 1602. Galleria Borghese, Rome
Virgin and Child C. 1604, Museum of Fine Arts, Tours
Battle with the Amazons. 1600 Potsdam (Germany), Art Gallery
In 1608, having received news of his mother’s serious illness, Rubens hastily returned to Antwerp. Hastily leaving Rome, he returned to his homeland, but no longer found his mother alive. Despite Rubens's promise to the Duke of Mantua to return to Italy, he remained in his homeland.
In 1609, he agreed to take the position of court painter under the ruler of Flanders, Isabella of Austria. In the autumn of the same year, Peter married aristocrat Isabella Brandt, daughter of John Brandt, secretary of the city court. Three children were born from this marriage.
Self-portrait of Rubens with his first wife, Isabella Brandt, 1609-1610.
Alto Pinakothek, Munich
Isabella Brandt, wife of Rubens, 1626. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Portrait of a young girl, (Portrait of the daughter of Clara Serena Rubens)
1615-16. Vadus, Lichnetstein Museum
Albert and Nicholas Rubens, children of the artist, 1626-1627.
Liechtenstein Museum, Vadus
In the early period of his work, Rubens painted ceremonial portraits in the spirit of Dutch traditions XVI century (“Self-portrait with Isabella Brandt”). In the 1610s. performs altar images in the Baroque spirit for the Antwerp Cathedral and city churches (“The Raising of the Cross”, “The Descent from the Cross”). Even earlier, in 1609, he set up an extensive workshop, into which young artists flocked in droves from everywhere. The large workshop, whose building he designed in the style of a Genoese palazzo (restored in 1937–1946), soon became a social center and landmark of Antwerp.
At this time he wrote: “The Conversion of St. Bavo” (for the Church of St. Bavo, in Ghent), “The Adoration of the Magi” (for the Church of St. John in Mecheln) and a colossal image of the “Last Judgment” (in the Munich Pinakothek). In 1612-20. the artist's mature style is emerging. During this period, he created many of his best works: mythological paintings (“Perseus and Andromeda”, “The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus”, “The Union of Earth and Water”, “Venus in front of the Mirror”, “The Battle of the Greeks with the Amazons”); hunting scenes (“The Hunt for Hippopotamus and Crocodile”); landscapes (“Carriers of Stones”).
Raising the Cross, triptych, general form. From left to right: Mary and John, Elevation of the Cross, Warriors
Descent from the Cross.1614: O.-L. Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp
Crucified Christ.1611: Koninklijk museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp
Last Judgment. 1617. Alte Pinakothek, Munich. Germany
“The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus.”1618
Venus before a mirror.1615: collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Vaduz
Toilet of Venus, ca. 1608 Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Hunting for a crocodile and a hippopotamus. 1615-1616, Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Head of a jellyfish. 1617. Private collection
Samson and Delilah. 1609, National Gallery, London
Boy with a bird. 1616. Metropolitan Museum, Berlin, Germany
Four philosophers (from right to left: Scientist Jan Vovelius, famous Stoic philosopher Justus Lipsius,
Lipsius's student, the artist's brother Philip and Rubens himself; above them is a bust of Seneca).
1612. Palatina Gallery (Palazzo Pitti), Florence, Italy
During the same period, Rubens acted as an architect, building his own house in Antwerp, marked by Baroque splendor. By the end of the 1610s. Rubens received wide recognition and fame. The artist’s extensive workshop, in which such major painters as A. van Dyck, J. Jordaens, and F. Snyders worked, carried out numerous monumental and decorative compositions on orders from the European aristocracy. In total, three thousand paintings came out of Rubens' workshop.
In 1618, from under his brush came “The Miraculous Fishing” (in the Church of Our Lady, in Mecheln), “Lion Hunt” (in the Munich Pinakothek), in 1619 “The Last Communion of St. Francis” (in Antwerp museum), "The Battle of the Amazons" (in the Munich Pinakothek) and 34 paintings for the Antwerp Jesuit Church, destroyed in 1718 by fire, with the exception of three that are now stored in the Vienna Museum.
Lion Hunt 1616, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Battle of the Amazons, 1618. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
In the 1620s. Rubens creates a series of paintings commissioned by the French queen Marie de' Medici and intended to decorate the Luxembourg Palace ("The History of Marie de' Medici"), paints ceremonial aristocratic portraits ("Portrait of Marie de' Medici", "Portrait of Count T. Arendelle with his family"), and performs a number of intimate lyrical portraits (“Portrait of the Infanta Isabella’s chambermaid”), creates compositions on biblical themes (“Adoration of the Magi”). He wrote for Marie de Medici a cycle of allegorical panels on scenes from her life and made cardboards for tapestries commissioned by Louis XIII, and also began a cycle of compositions with episodes from the life of the French king Henry IV of Navarre, which remained unfinished. Brilliantly educated and fluent in several languages, Rubens was often hired by Spanish rulers to carry out diplomatic missions.
Medici Gallery, 1622-1625 Louvre, Paris
The second half of Rubens' life was spent mostly in travel, which he made as an ambassador of his sovereign. So he traveled to Paris three times, visited The Hague (1626), visited Madrid (1628) and London (1629).
After the death of his wife, in 1627-30, the artist visited Holland, France, then traveled to Madrid and London on diplomatic missions. He meets with Charles I, Duke of Buckingham, Philip IV, Cardinal Richelieu, promotes the conclusion of a peace treaty between Spain and England, for which the Spanish king granted him the title of State Councilor, and the English - nobility.
During his travels, Rubens painted portraits of royal and simply high-ranking persons: Marie de Medici, Lord Buckingham, King Philip IV and his wife Elizabeth of France. In Madrid, he painted a number of portraits of members of the royal family, executed for the banquet hall of the Uatgal Palace, in London - nine large lampshades depicting scenes from the history of King James II.
In addition, while working in Antwerp and Brussels, he created a large number of paintings with religious, mythological and genre content, among other things: “The Adoration of the Magi” (in the Antwerp Museum), “The Flight of Lot” (Louvre), “Christ and the Sinner” (in the Munich Museum). Pinakothek), "The Raising of Lazarus" (in the Berlin Museum), "Bacchanalia" (Hermitage), "Bacchus" (ibid.), "Garden of Love" (in the Madrid Museum, in the Dresden Gallery), "The Game of Gentlemen and Ladies in the Park" (in the Vienna gallery), "Carriers of Stones" (Hermitage), etc.
Lot's flight. 1622. Paris, Louvre
Garden of Love, 1632, Prado Museum, Madrid
In the 1630s. a new period of the artist’s creativity began. In 1626, Rubens's first wife, Isabella, died. After four years of widowhood, in 1630 Rubens married sixteen-year-old Helen Fourman, the daughter of a friend and distant relative of Daniel Fourman. They had five children. Rubens retreats from political affairs and devotes himself entirely to creativity. He acquires an estate with a castle (Sten) in Elevate (Brabant) and settles there with his young wife.
Portrait of Helen Fourment, the artist's second wife, 1630.
Royal Museum Fine Arts, Brussels
Elena Fourman with children, 1636-1637. Louvre Museum, Paris
:: Rubens Peter Paul" src="http://www.wm-painting.ru/plugins/p19_image_design/images/816.jpg">
Rubens, his wife and son.1639. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan
Rubens in his garden with Helen of Fourment. 1631: Private collection
From time to time the artist creates decorative and monumental compositions, but more often he paints small paintings, performing them with his own hands, without the help of a workshop. His main model is his young wife. Rubens depicts her in biblical and mythological images (“Bathsheba”), creates more than 20 portraits of Elena (“Fur Coat”, “Portrait of Elena Furmen”). We recognize her features in The Garden of Love (1634), in The Three Graces (1638) and in The Judgment of Paris (1639).
Venus in a Fur Coat.1640: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
"The Three Graces".1639: Prado Museum, Madrid
Judgment of Paris.1639: Prado Museum, Madrid
The themes of the works of this time are varied. The last ten years of Rubens' life (1630 - 40) were as productive as the first periods of his activity.
During these years, he produced one of his best creations, the famous triptych “Our Lady presenting the sacred vestment to St. Ildefrons” (in the Vienna gallery). He continued to work in the Uatgal palace, commissioned by Brussels carpet manufacturers to create a whole series of cardboards depicting “The Life of Apelles” (in 9 scenes), “The History of Constantine” (12 scenes), and “The Triumph of the Church” (in 9 scenes).
Along with poetic landscapes (“Landscape with a Rainbow”, “Landscape with the Castle of Walls”), Rubens painted scenes of village festivities (“Kermessa”).
Autumn Landscape with a View of the Castle (Het Steen).1635, National Gallery, London
When in 1635, a year after the death of the ruler of the Netherlands, Infanta Isabella, King Philip IV appointed his brother, Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo Ferdinand, to rule this country, Rubens was entrusted with organizing the artistic part of the festivities on the occasion of the ceremonial entry of the new stadtholder into Antwerp. According to the sketches and sketches of the great artist, they were built and painted triumphal arches and the scenery that decorated the city streets along which the prince’s motorcade followed (these sketches are in the Munich Pinakothek and in the Hermitage). In addition to these works, Rubens performed many others, for example, a series of hunting scenes for the royal palace del Prado in Madrid, the painting “The Judgment of Paris” (in the London National Gallery and in the Madrid Museum) and “Diana on the Hunt” (in the Berlin Museum), and whole line landscapes, including “The Arrival of Odysseus to the Phaeacians” (in the Pitti Gallery, Florence) and “The Rainbow” (in the Hermitage).
Landscape with cows, 1636. Oil on wood. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Landscape: milkmaids and cows. 1618.Royal Collection, London
Despite his vigorous activity, Rubens found time to do other things. He corresponded with Infanta Isabella, Ambrose Spinola and Sir Dudley-Carlton, was fond of collecting carved stones, and drew illustrations for Peiresque’s essay on cameos, was present at the first experiments with a microscope carried out in Paris, was interested in book printing and produced a number of capital letters for Plantin’s printing house sheets, frames, mottos, headbands and vignettes.
Latest works Rubens - “The Three Graces”, “Bacchus” and “Perseus Freeing Andromeda” (finished by Rubens’ student J. Jordaens).
Perseus freeing Andromeda 1640. Prado Museum, Madrid.
In the spring of 1640, Rubens' health deteriorated sharply (he suffered from gout), and on May 30, 1640, the artist died.
The amazing fertility of Rubens (there are over 2000 of his paintings alone) would seem downright incredible if it were not known that his numerous students helped him in his work. In most cases, Rubens made only sketches, from which others executed the paintings themselves, which he painted with his brush only in the end, before handing them over to customers.
Rubens's students and collaborators were: the famous A. van Dyck, Quellinus, Schoop, Van Hooke, Diepenbeck, Van Thulden, Wouters, Egmont, Wolfut, Gerard, Duffe, Francois, Van Mol and others.
Rubens House in Antwerp
Monument to Rubens in Antwerp
Peter Paul Rubens (Dutch. Pieter Paul Rubens; June 28, 1577, Siegen - May 30, 1640, Antwerp) is a prolific South Dutch (Flemish) painter who, like no one else, embodied the mobility, unbridled vitality and sensuality of European painting of the Baroque era. Rubens's work is an organic fusion of the traditions of Bruegelian realism with the achievements of the Venetian school. Although the fame of his large-scale works on mythological and religious themes thundered throughout Europe, Rubens was also a virtuoso master of portraits and landscapes.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST
Peter Paul Rubens was born in Germany in 1577, in the family of a Flemish lawyer who left his native Antwerp for religious reasons. The father dies a year after his birth, and 10 years later the family returns to Antwerp, where the mother has property and modest means of living. Rubens begins page service in the count's house and soon shows such an ardent interest in drawing that his mother has to give in to him, despite her own plans for her son's education. In the spring of 1600, the future genius sets off to meet the sun of painting, shining from Italy.
Rubens spent 8 years in Italy, painting many commissioned portraits and demonstrating his outstanding talent, bringing life, expression, and color to this genre. His manner of carefully depicting the landscape and details of the background of the portrait was also new.
Returning to Antwerp for his mother’s funeral, he remains in his homeland and accepts an offer to become a court painter for Archduke Albert and Infanta Isabella.
He was young, incredibly talented, possessed of captivating charm and real masculine beauty.
His sharp mind, brilliant education and natural tact made him irresistible in any communication. In 1609, he married the daughter of Secretary of State Isabella Brant, hotly, mutual love. Their union lasted until 1626, until Isabella's untimely death, and was full of happiness and harmony. Three children were born to this marriage.
During these years, Rubens worked fruitfully and his fame grew stronger. He is rich and can write as the divine gift tells him.
Biographers and researchers of Rubens' work unanimously note his extraordinary freedom in painting. At the same time, no one could accuse him of violating the canons or insolence. His paintings give the impression of a revelation he received from the Creator himself. The power and passion of his creations still inspire awe in audiences to this day. The scale of the paintings, combined with amazing compositional skill and finely detailed details, creates the effect of immersing the soul in a work of art. All the subtleties of experience, the entire gamut of human feelings and emotions were subject to Rubens’ brush, combining with the artist’s powerful technique in his creations, most of which have been happily preserved to this day. Rubens created his own school, which was considered the best in Europe. Not only artists, but also sculptors and engravers studied with the Master. and continued his glory. 
After the death of Isabella, Rubens, who suffered greatly from the loss, even suspended his work and devoted several years to diplomacy.
In 1630, he remarried the young Elena Fourment (Fourment), a distant relative of his late wife. She gave him five children. The family lives outside the city, and Rubens paints many landscapes and rural holidays in the lap of nature. He is happy and peaceful again. His mature skill becomes majestic and close to absolute perfection.
Later, years of continuous work begin to take their toll, Rubens is tormented by gout, his hands refuse to obey.
The disease progresses rapidly. But even then, natural optimism and a feeling of fullness of life do not leave him.
On May 30, 1640, in the full blaze of glory and in the prime of his talent, Peter Paul Rubens left the earthly world. He was buried with unprecedented honors, and in recognition of the greatness of his services, a golden crown was carried before the coffin.
THE WORK OF RUBENS
Rubens never hesitated to imitate those of his predecessors who admired him, and especially with. The first decade of his work presents a picture of the hardworking and methodical development of the achievements of artists of the 16th century. Thanks to this approach, he mastered all genres of Renaissance painting and became the most versatile artist of his time.
Rubens' compositional solutions are distinguished by their exceptional diversity (diagonal, ellipse, spiral), the richness of his colors and gestures never ceases to amaze.
Fully consistent with this vitality are the overweight female forms, the so-called “Rubensian” ones, which can repel the modern viewer with their somewhat ponderous physicality.
In the 1610s. Rubens develops new forms for Flemish painting, in particular, the genre of hunting scenes, which are imbued with the passionate dynamics of mature Baroque (“The Hunt for the Crocodile and Hippopotamus”). In these works, a whirlwind of compositional movement sweeps away the limitations traditionally placed on artists by line and form.
Rubens's strokes amaze with their boldness and freedom, although with all their breadth he never falls into impasto.
His unsurpassed mastery of the brush is evident both in the multi-meter compositions of the 1620s and in the precise, light, moving strokes of small works of the last period.
RUBENS WOMEN
Nowhere does one feel so clearly perky, cheerful, full healthy life the spirit of Rubens, as in paintings depicting female nudes. Erotic, as all “nude” should be, but not vulgar, solid, but not banal, his naked female figures testify to his heartfelt pleasure received from life.
It is hardly a contradiction that this greatest religious artist of his time was also a great master of the female form.
In his opinion, the human body, down to the last detail, is as much a creation of God as the life of any saint, and although he often placed nude female figures against the backdrop of past, pagan history, he always painted them with a frank directness, which reflected his strong religious beliefs. beliefs. From a technical point of view, it is almost impossible to find a flaw in Rubens' depiction of the nude, although modern tastes in relation to female beauty differ significantly from the tastes and approaches of the artist.
He painted curvy, full-bodied models not only because they better reflected the ideals of his time, but also because a body with luxurious flesh, with its folds, bulges and curves, was much more interesting for him to draw.
Rubens probably understood better than any artist in history how extraordinary, subtle nuances could be achieved using red, blue, white and brown paint for accurate reproduction of flesh color.
Rubens' women were said to appear "made of milk and blood."
Being a brilliant colorist, Rubens masterfully knew how to reflect the subtleties of texture and structure of the body itself. Along with his predecessor Titian and his follower Renoir, he is an unsurpassed artist of the forms of the human body.
Rubens' two main masterpieces in this area are The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus and The Three Graces. They are excellent illustrations of the methods of depicting the nude that Rubens used and which were subject to changes from the middle of his artistic career to his later period. In the first painting, the mythological cousins Castor and Pollux kidnap the daughters of King Messene. The whole picture is imbued with the exciting mobility of the Baroque style. The contrasting surfaces of armor brought to a shine, the hair and skin of horses, silk fabrics and naked female flesh enliven the picture with their almost tangible texture. In the figures themselves, every dimple of flesh is accurately depicted. The contrast to this picture is the second, which depicts the calm dance of the maids of Venus. It reflects the softer, more reflective style of a mature artist.
Painted a year before his death, the painting “The Three Graces” presents us with Rubens’ ideal of female beauty.
Its composition, which is a variant of a pose developed by Greco-Roman sculptors and transferred to canvas by such masters as and, is endowed with energy and strength that Rubens usually spends on much more complex subjects. Here the artist filled these three naked figures with wondrous vitality...
RUBENS AS CREATOR OF BAROQUE
Very few artists, even great ones, deserve the honor of being called the founders of a new style in painting. Rubens is an exception.
He became the creator of a vibrant and exciting style of artistic expression, later called Baroque.
The unique properties of this style of painting are clearly demonstrated in his early transitional work, St. George Slaying the Dragon. The woman standing on the left in a frozen pose is depicted in extremely detail, which is characteristic of all Rubens’ predecessors. But the heroic figure of the knight, his rearing horse, energetic gestures and bright colors demonstrate the new interest shown by Rubens in assertive action, movement, emotions. Paintings such as this one anticipated by about half a century the widespread use of the Baroque style by artists in other European countries.
The bright, lush Rubensian style is characterized by the depiction of large, heavy figures in rapid movement, excited to the limit by an emotionally charged atmosphere. Sharp contrasts of light and shadow and warm, rich colors seem to imbue his paintings with ebullient energy. He painted rough biblical scenes, fast, exciting animal hunts, sonorous military battles, examples the highest manifestation religious spirit, and did all this with an equal passion for transferring the highest life drama onto canvas. One of his greatest admirers, a 19th-century French colorist, wrote of Rubens: “His chief quality, if preferred to many others, is his piercing spirit, that is, his astonishing life; without this, no artist can be great... and they seem terribly meek next to him.”
No one depicted people and animals in brutal combat the way Rubens did. All of his predecessors carefully studied tamed animals and painted them in scenes with people.
Such works usually had one goal - to demonstrate knowledge of the anatomical structure of the animal and were based mainly on biblical or mythological stories. Rubens' imagination carried him far beyond the reality of history, forcing him to create a living world in which people and animals fight each other in a spontaneous battle. His hunting scenes are characterized by enormous tension: passions run high, excited people and animals fearlessly and furiously attack each other. Rubens popularized this genre in the middle of his career as an artist.
On famous painting The Hunt for the Hippo, one of four commissioned from Rubens by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria for one of his palaces, depicts a simply incredible fight between a crocodile, an angry hippopotamus, three hounds, three horses and five men. The entire composition of Rubens's painting is masterfully focused on the figure of the hippopotamus. The arch of his back leads the viewer's gaze upward. There, in the upper part of the picture, like a fan, there are long horse muzzles, the raised arms of hunters, pikes and swords, which form powerful diagonals, returning the viewer’s gaze to the center of the canvas, to the center of the fight. Thus, Rubens achieves a variety of forms in his painting, which, connecting and merging, enhance the drama playing out before the viewer’s eyes, transferring all his attention not to the life, but to the death of these animals in the very center of the picture.
PORTRAITS OF RUBENS
Of course, Rubens was great master portrait painting, and although his works are inferior to Titian’s portraits in their psychologism and degree of comprehension of the model, Rubens is rightfully one of the most significant portrait painters in history.
Rubens' portraits can be called a real pictorial reference book of "who's who" of representatives of the Western European nobility of the 17th century.
During his eight years in Italy, he painted portraits of many aristocrats, including his very first patron, the Duke of Mantua. In 1609, after returning to Antwerp, Rubens became a court painter under the rulers of the Spanish Netherlands, Archduke Albert and Archduchess Infanta Isabella. In this position, he received the special privilege of visiting the homes of the richest and most noble nobles. He painted portraits of the English king, the Duke of Buckingham, the Countess of Shrewsbury, the Spanish king Philip IV, the French kings Henry IV and Louis XIII, the Polish king Ladislaus IV Vasa and Marie de' Medici. During their creative travels Rubens became involved in diplomatic activities. Infanta Isabella, aware that Rubens's art gave him free access to the most noble royal houses of Europe, made him her unofficial envoy, but a very trusted person. While painting portraits or discussing orders for monumental decorative decorations on the walls of palaces, Rubens at the same time often conducted secret negotiations with kings and princes.
If one word were needed to describe the life of Peter Paul Rubens, the word “energy” would be quite suitable. His art, characterized by his ebullient vital energy, his passions, is the quintessence of the grandiose Baroque style. More than 1000 paintings by the artist are a monumental achievement.
But it is only one of many. Rubens was an amazingly well-read man, his interests ranged from Stoic philosophy to the study of rare gems. During his long travels, when he diligently studied and often copied works of art different eras, he met on equal terms with many famous European intellectuals. Among them are such classical scholars as Nicolas Peyresc, Caspar Sciopius and the French humanist Pierre Dupuy. They all unanimously praised his sharp mind and carried on a long, scholarly correspondence with him.
“Rubens had so many talents,” noted one of his patrons, “that his ability to draw should be classified as the very last.”
RELIGIOUS AND MYTHOLOGICAL PAINTING
Rubens was a very pious man who great joy and enthusiastically took on the creation of religious orders. One day he wrote these significant words:
“Everyone has their own gift: my talent is such that no matter how enormous the work is in terms of the number and variety of subjects, it has never surpassed my strength.”
These words most accurately reflect the amazing universality of the master’s work, for the genre range of his art accommodated almost the entire variety of themes and subjects that became widespread in Flemish and European painting of the 17th century. And although only a few of them did not find implementation in the work of Rubens, all of them, even those so far from the artist’s immediate interests, specifically “armchair” areas of painting, such as, for example, the depiction of flowers, turned out to be drawn into the circle of his influence, subordinate to the tasks set by him. art. And one of the central themes in which Rubens showed himself most brightly and fully was religious and mythological painting.
To fully understand its significance for the artist and society, it is important to remember that Rubens lived from 1577 to 1640, a period that historians usually call the Counter-Reformation, as it was characterized by the revival of the Roman Catholic Church, which made vigorous efforts to suppress the consequences of the Protestant Reformation .
It was a time of intense conflict, during which the human spirit and intellect achieved great success, but it was also known for its greed, intolerance and unparalleled cruelty... And yet the temperament characteristic of Rubens forced him to pay attention to bright sides human life, and not on adversity alone.
Few great artists have expressed with greater insight and confidence the astonishing bounty of nature and the potential happiness within man. It is likely that the incredible popularity of his art during his lifetime was explained by the need for people to feel solid support in their depressed state. They needed an idea of the world around them that would resemble the saying from the Bible: “And God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good.” Rubens realized that such fiery artistic expression was fully consistent with his creative convictions.
He somewhat cooled the enthusiasm that antiquity aroused in him, and invested his own, deeply touching piety into a powerful pictorial art, drawing inspiration from pagan sources to give a new dimension to the reflection of Christian themes, conveying human warmth to mythological images.
Subject to the power of his imagination, this fusion of Christian and classical images delighted and inspired his contemporaries. No artist could achieve anything like this before.
LANDSCAPES
Rubens did not paint landscapes often - the demand for his work forced him to focus mainly on live scenes - but he did make many sketches and studies of his favorite rural Flemish landscape. He may have used some of them for the background of his large paintings(like other artists of his time, he did not carry an easel with him to paint the landscape directly before his eyes). During his horseback rides through the countryside, Rubens often stopped to sketch a gate, or a bridge, or a bramble bush that caught his attention. which seemed interesting to him and worthy of his attention.
At the end of his life, when Rubens moved away from large orders, he again returned to the landscape theme.
Over the last decade of his life, Rubens is believed to have painted several dozen outdoor landscapes, most of which have not survived. Using his free, flowing style, developed by himself, he probably only painted for his own pleasure the land that he had looked at for so long with delight and love. After his death, seventeen of his landscapes remained. True wonders of light and color, these paintings are often personal in nature, they are much more deeply felt by him than many large scenes painted before. Here he passionately, with precise, confident strokes, displays the creative energy characteristic of his early works. The color of the landscapes is distinguished by brilliance and brightness, its outlines are muted and softened. It seems that the light comes from the picture itself, from the depths. In these works, Rubens greatly anticipated what we would later see only in the Impressionists.
With the sleek appearance of a banker and possessing the noble manners of a diplomat, in his paintings Rubens mainly depicted nude women with curvy figures.
Rubens was never a pedant. He had enough talent and charm to try himself in another field - in the field of politics. For many years after he became a nationally recognized artist, Rubens, using his profession as a cover, worked hard as a diplomat, often taking part in peace negotiations for the Spanish Netherlands, his homeland.
The artist acquired his ability to behave in society while serving as a court page for Countess de Lalen, who adored harsh pranks and games for her courtiers.
The size of the estate in which Rubens lived during the prosperity of his work was such that the inventory of property that followed his death lasted for five whole years.
While living in Italy, the artist was popular with Italian actresses, often having love affairs with them. In addition, during the same period, he repeatedly used the services of harlots.
Rubens' favorite model was his 16-year-old wife, whom he married at the age of 53. It is her naked body that is depicted in most of the paintings of the great artist.
Rubens, despite the frank paintings he depicted, was a loving father of all his children, of whom, by the way, he had eight.
Despite a difficult and joyless childhood, the artist managed to achieve great heights and recognition. He held a knighthood and was also a good friend of Marie de' Medici and Pope Paul V.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Rubens, Peter-Paul // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907
- Rubens, P. P. Letters / trans. A. A. Akhmatova; comment V. D. Zagoskina and M. I. Fabrikant; entry Art. V. N. Lazareva; ed. and preface A. M. Efros. - M.; L.: Academia, 1933
- Peter Paul Rubens. Letters. Documentation. Judgments of contemporaries. Moscow, 1977
- Jaffé, Michael (1977). Rubens and Italy. Cornell University Press.
- Belkin, Kristin Lohse (1998). Rubens. Phaidon Press.
- Vlieghe, Hans. Flemish Art and Architecture 1585-1700. Yale University Press, Pelican History of Art, New Haven and London, 1998.
When writing this article, materials from the following sites were used:muzei-mira.com ,
If you find any inaccuracies or want to add to this article, send us information to the email address admin@site, we and our readers will be very grateful to you.
Peter Paul Rubens - greatest genius of its time. His name is forever entrenched in the history of art. An artist with a capital letter, as you know, was also wonderful person: handsome, smart, energetic and confident. An artist who during his lifetime did not doubt his creativity.
Childhood and youth
Peter Rubens was born on June 28, 1577 in the German city of Siegen. Although some disputes arise with the date of birth: the artist’s biography has been rewritten more than once. His family emigrated from Belgium to Germany during the outbreak of civil war and terror against Protestants.
The artist's father, Jan Rubens, was a city judge in Antwerp, Belgium until 1568. His wife, Maria Peipelinks, raised four children. The whole family ended up in Germany, and at this time three more children were born. Among them was Peter Rubens.
The first eleven years of the painter's childhood were spent in Cologne. The father continued to work as a lawyer, the mother continued to raise children. The usual stability was shaken when the prominent and wealthy head of the family entered into a relationship with the wife of William of Orange, Anna.
After this, Jan Rubens was deprived of his property and the right to work as a lawyer, and Maria had to sell vegetables at the market to feed her children. From Cologne, Rubens, along with his wife and offspring, was sent to Siegen in 1573.
In 1587, Jan Rubens died of illness. During this time, Paperlinks lost several children. Rubens' widow converted to Catholicism and returned to her homeland, Antwerp. The children went to Latin school.
At that time, changes were taking place in the city. It became impossible to continue trading due to closed sea routes. Each of Rubens' children had to find their place in life. The girls became wives of wealthy husbands. One of the sons, Philip, followed in his father's footsteps, studying to become a lawyer. The elder Jan Baptist took up painting professionally.
Painting
In the 16th century, great changes were taking place in the art world. The Flemings invented paint for painting, which was more convenient and practical. It is based on flax oil. This added vibrancy to the paints and increased drying time. The paintings became deeper, and work turned into leisurely pleasure.
Peter Paul was attracted to art from childhood. From the age of 14 he learned the craft from local artists. The future painter learned the basics from the landscape painter Tobias Warhacht, who was related to him.
Another relative became the second master in Rubens’ life: Adam van Noort. Peter Paul intended to gain from the famous artist knowledge that was not acquired while working with Warhacht. For four years the student worked under the supervision of Noort. During this time, young Peter became interested in the Flemish atmosphere. Later this affected his work.
In 1595 begins new stage in the works of Peter Rubens. The next teacher is Otto van Veen (at that time one of the most influential artists). He is called the founder of mannerism and Rubens's main mentor, whose talent acquired new dimensions during his studies.
Peter Paul Rubens did not paint in the manner of Veen, although his style had a great influence on the artist’s worldview. The mentor became for him an example of versatility and education. Even in his childhood, Rubens was drawn to knowledge, studied languages (he was fluent in six languages) and the humanities.
Rubens took lessons from Otto Van Veen until 1599, and then, in the official status of a “free artist,” he went to Italy in 1600 to improve his skills and admire the works of antiquity.
At that time, the painter was 23 years old, but he already had his own style, thanks to which Peter Rubens was almost immediately invited to serve under Vincenzo Gonzaga, the ruler of Mantua. The Duke was fond of ancient art and loved paintings from the Renaissance. Rubens often wrote copies for him.
Peter Paul spent eight years at the Gonzaga court. It is believed that the service was a good decision for the artist, since the church authorities of that time began to oppose heresy in the paintings of modern artists.
During the time spent in Italy, the young painter visited Rome, Madrid, Venice, and Florence. Carried out diplomatic assignments.
In 1608, Rubens hastily returned to Antwerp after learning of his mother's death. He did not plan to go back to Italy: the loss seemed so severe that the artist was thinking about entering a monastery. But Peter could not leave painting. In addition to numerous orders from wealthy residents hometown, he received an offer to work at the court of Archduke Albert.
In Antwerp, the artist became one of the most sought after. He tried to keep up with the orders of the Archduke, decorate the cathedral and paint pictures for hundreds of other residents of the city. In 1618, the masterpiece “The Union of Earth and Water” appeared. It clearly shows the influence Italian artists to the painter's style. It was believed that the main idea of the canvas was the unity of Antwerp and the Scheldt River.
The volume of orders increased significantly, and Peter Paul opened his own workshop. Now he, a once diligent student, shared his knowledge with young talents (names such as Jacob Jordane and Frans Snyders remain in history). The students carried out numerous orders from the townspeople. Over time, this became a well-thought-out system, an art school.
Meanwhile, in 1620, another work of art appeared, the pinnacle of Rubens’s work - “Perseus and Andromeda”, the plot of which is connected with ancient myth, which Peter Paul was so keen on.
Closer to 1630, Peter Rubens was tired of his busy lifestyle. He spent some time in solitude, creating another brilliant picture. “The Three Graces” and “The Judgment of Paris” are the embodiment of the nature of their author. Rubens was always attracted by the beauty and plasticity of the voluminous female body
“Susanna and the Elders” has become a classic of Flemish painting. The plot is directed to the Old Testament. Rubens' paintings that belonged to cathedrals are associated with the Holy Scriptures ("The Last Supper", "Samson and Delilah"), although his work more covers another area of \u200b\u200blife - bright, lush, dramatic. Not all pictures of church orientation were approved. One of these is “The Elevation of the Cross.” She was considered very controversial.
"The Slaughter of the Innocents" represents a scene from the Bible when Herod exterminated the infants, fearing the coming. Biographers write that the author liked this work more than all the others.
Another monument of the Baroque era is the terrifying “Medusa”. The reaction of contemporaries to this picture lived up to Peter Rubens' expectations. People were frightened by the frankness of the work. The artist was not indifferent to the political affairs of Antwerp.
His work has long been associated with politics, including Meduza, which local residents regarded as a warning sign.
Peter Paul Rubens, thanks to his paintings and diplomatic skills, managed to achieve peace between Madrid and London. The artist dreamed of influencing the course of the war in his native country, but he failed to do this. After numerous trips, 50-year-old Rubens finally settled in Antwerp.
Personal life
After returning from Italy, Rubens married Isabella Brant, the 18-year-old daughter of an official.
The marriage was based on convenience, although the young girl surrounded Rubens with care and attention for 17 years. Peter Paul's first wife gave birth to three children. In 1630 she died of a heart attack.
At 50, Peter Rubens married again. 16-year-old Elena Fourman – last love the artist, his main muse, mother of five children.
Death
In 1640, Peter Paul Rubens fell ill. Due to his age, the artist could not recover from his illness. The Flemish painter died on May 30 next to his children and beloved wife Elena.
Works
- 1610 - "Elevation of the Cross"
- 1610 - “Samson and Delilah”
- 1612 - "Massacre of the Innocents"
- 1612 - "Massacre of the Innocents"
- 1614 - "Descent from the Cross"
- 1616 - “The Hunt for Hippopotamus and Crocodile”
- 1618 - “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus”
- 1626 - “Assumption” Holy Virgin Maria"
- 1629 - “Adam and Eve”
- 1639 - “The Judgment of Paris”