In the 17th century, if Peter Paul Rubens had a business card, he would probably have too many titles to write down. Baroque Representative artist/Flanders court painter/Spanish diplomatic envoy... This high-quality slash young man with a resume full of "/" has not only gained fame in many fields, but also left a lot of precious artistic wealth to future generations with his exquisite and passionate brushwork. In the "Light and Shadow: Five Hundred Years of European Painting" exhibition jointly organized by Chengdu Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Rubens 's masterpieces attract people to explore his passionate and glorious life.
is a "master" and an "ambassador"
In the public mind, most of the most famous artists were poor during their lifetimes and only gained social recognition after their death, such as Van Gogh; or they had ups and downs, such as Rembrandt. But there are also some people who are favored by the goddess of luck and achieve fame, wealth and happiness throughout their lives. Rubens is one of them.
"Self-Portrait" Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens was born in a well-educated family in Siegen, Germany. His father was an outstanding jurist and had served as a legal advisor to the royal family. His mother was also well-educated. Not only did he expose him to the customs and etiquette of upper class society from an early age, he learned many languages, and she also hired famous teachers to teach him to practice painting.
In 11600, Rubens, who was in his 20s, went to Italy, the holy land of art, to further his studies. He soon met and was employed by a duke. He was fortunate to have access to many fine paintings collected by the royal family, and his painting level was greatly improved. His talent in dealing with people began to show, and he was recognized by the upper class. Orders continued to flow, and Italian aristocrats were proud to own a portrait painted by Rubens.
608, just as Rubens was enjoying his life, news came from his hometown that his mother was seriously ill. Rubens immediately rushed back to Flanders and never returned to Italy.
Returning to his hometown, Rubens still had everything going smoothly. In the second year, he served as the court painter of Isabella, the ruler of Austria. He was loved and sought after by the nobles. He also fell in love at first sight with the daughter of a humanist and got married. From 1621 to 1630, Rubens led a luxurious and stable life. He was overwhelmed with orders and was invited to participate in diplomatic missions. From 1621 to 1630, Rubens was appointed by the Spanish royal family to visit many European countries for diplomatic work. Among them, the most eye-catching achievement was to successfully impress the British king with his painting "Minerva Defending the Peace" and establish friendly relations between Spain and Britain.
"Minerva in Defense of Peace" Peter Paul Rubens
"Minerva in Defense of Peace" No matter which field, Rubens was at ease and at ease, but his comfortable life and busy diplomatic work did not kill Rubens' enthusiasm for painting. He devoted himself more actively to creation, ran a large studio, and hired many talented assistants, including the future portrait master Anthony van Dyck .
"Queen Mary Lands in the Port of Marseille" Peter Paul Rubens
1. Born into a famous family
Speaking of Rubens' happiness, the first thing is his background. A good family background is crucial to personal growth. Rubens was born in Siegen, Germany. His father was an outstanding jurist. He once served as a legal consultant for the royal family. He attached great importance to Rubens's language education. Rubens began to learn German, French, and Latin from an early age. His mother, Maria, is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. She is well-educated and has strong negotiation and action skills. Rubens' elegant conversation and superb social skills are inseparable from her mother's influence. It was this kind of family and growing environment that paved the way for Rubens to become an outstanding diplomat.
When Rubens was 12 years old, his father passed away, and his mother took him back to his hometown Antwerp under Spanish rule. She hired famous painting teachers to train him in painting skills, and also hired humanistic and language teachers to cultivate Rubens' cultural literacy.At the same time, Rubens was baptized here and became a Catholic, an event that had an important impact on his life and his painting career. He later became a major figure in the Counter-Reformation. Religion played a prominent role in most of his works. "My passion comes from heaven, not from earthly reflections."
Due to his loyalty to his faith, Rubens devoted his great creative enthusiasm to religious paintings. If after the 18th century, the focus of European society shifted to the context of humanism, it would be difficult for Rubens to achieve brilliant achievements. But he happened to grow up in the 17th century, an era of religious revival. Rubens' enthusiasm and excellent skills were rewarded with a series of orders, mostly from the church and the royal family, and the sums were huge.
The fall of the Sun God's chariot, 1604, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Unloading the Eucharist, 1618, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Rubens's luck is that every step in life is a preparation for success, and the links are intertwined. God seems to always be on his side.
600, Rubens went to Italy, a pilgrimage place for artists, to continue his studies. During the years when he was studying in his hometown, one of the painting teachers hired by his mother was Wen Fen, who had a good personal relationship with Vincenzo, Duke of Mantua in Italy. After Rubens came to Italy, he was quickly hired by Vincenzo because of Wen Fen's relationship. The duke was quite easy-going and open-minded. When he hired Rubens, he did not have many rigid requirements. He gave Rubens the greatest freedom and funded his travels and studies throughout Italy. With the support of this kind donor, Rubens not only viewed and copied many famous works collected by the Duke himself, but also went to Rome to experience the most classic Renaissance sculptures and paintings in person. Rubens stayed in Rome for two or three years, studying and copying Tintoretto, Titian, Verona, as well as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio. Michelangelo's rough lines and powerful brushstrokes had an important influence on Rubens's painting style. Titian's rich and bright color techniques and vibrant painting style were also deeply engraved in Rubens' mind.
After eight years of living in Italy, Rubens was deeply influenced by the monumental Italian classical art. At the same time, he especially knew how to integrate into and enjoy the life here. Italian was as fluent as his native language. In addition to providing the best painting learning environment, Duke also provides preparatory courses for diplomatic careers. In 1603, the Duke of Mantua commissioned Rubens to go to Spain as a diplomatic envoy to deliver gifts to Spanish King Philip III. During this trip, Rubens not only had the opportunity to study the paintings in the palace collection of Madrid , but also painted the portrait "Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma" for a relative of the King of Spain.
Equestrian portrait of the Duke of Lerma, 1603, Prado Museum in Madrid
The portrait was deeply loved by the Duke of Lerma. This pleasant visit allowed Rubens to open up a unique path of "painter diplomacy" and gave a good start to his outstanding diplomatic career. Who can resist a charming and elegant painter and his exquisite works?
Portrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria, 1606, National Gallery of Art, Washington
The success of the portrait of Duke Lerma gave Rubens a steady stream of orders, and Italian nobles were proud to own a portrait painted by Rubens himself. Portraits of nobles were an important part of Rubens becoming a winner in life. In addition, the Duke of Mantua did not mind him doing his own work during working hours. The lucky Rubens easily made a fortune every day and quickly established his own high-level network of contacts.
608 is a turning year. Rubens, who was going smoothly in Italy, was about to reach the peak of his life, when a letter from home suddenly broke the peace. His mother was critically ill, and Rubens hurried back to his hometown. Unfortunately, the carriage was slow and he traveled day and night without seeing his mother for the last time. This is probably one of the few regrets that Rubens had in his life.
's works this year no longer have the cheerful and bright colors of the past, and the themes are also quite gloomy, such as the following painting "Suzanne and the Elders".
Susanna and the elders, 1608, Borghese Museum, Rome
The story of Susanna and the elders is this: Susanna is the wife of a wealthy businessman in Babylon . She was coveted by two local elders because of her extremely beautiful appearance. The elder spied on Susanna bathing and blackmailed her into doing immoral things. Susanna sternly refused and resisted desperately. The two elders were afraid that Susanna would reveal their crimes to her husband, so they falsely accused Susanna of being unchaste, and Susanna was sentenced to death. Later, the prophet came to the rescue and cleared Susanna's wrongdoing.
In Rubens's painting, the elder who gestures to Susanna to be silent is already in his seventies, and his face is full of vulgarity; the black-bearded elder next to him is aggressive, as if threatening Susanna to submit. In this painting, Rubens focuses the viewer's attention on Susanna's flawless body. She is a symbol of purity and light, while the elders in the shadow represent evil and darkness. The tense atmosphere created and the character expressions and shapes contrasting good and evil all reflect Rubens' profound painting skills.
2. Happy marriage
A year later, the second woman who took over her mother's role in guarding Rubens appeared. She was Isabella Brandt, the eldest daughter of Antwerp official Jane Brandt and her aristocratic wife, and the niece of Rubens's sister-in-law. An intimate marriage, a well-matched couple. The 18-year-old Isabella was beautiful, elegant, innocent and romantic. To Rubens, who was already in his thirties, she was like a sweet spring breeze, making people happy and comfortable. This love-at-first-sight marriage lasted for twelve years, and except for the short time, everything was perfect.
The painter and his wife Isabella, 1609, Munich Museum of Fine Arts
The newly married Rubens was happy and happy. As soon as he returned to Antwerp, he was appointed as the court painter by Grand Duke Albert. A successful career, a loving wife in my arms, life is like this, what more can a husband ask for. Honeysuckle The newlyweds under the honeysuckle tree are gorgeously dressed and have a peaceful expression. Their hands clasped together show the tacit happiness between the couple. They are partners who rely on each other and are also the most loyal friends.
In the second year after his marriage, Rubens bought a mansion in Antwerp and decorated it like a palace. In this house, Rubens and Elizabeth's three children were born one after another. They were all smart and lovely, and their lives were full of sunshine and laughter every day.
Lucky people are like this, life is just one word - smooth. It is definitely a small probability event that the word "shun" appears in the artist's life dictionary. As close as Caravaggio, no zuo no die, and finally died on the wandering road to escape. Rembrandt, "My first half of life" is really on par with Rubens. Whatever I do, I will succeed and be a sure winner in life. In the second half of my life, I don't know what bad luck I did, what I did wrong, nothing went as planned, and I finally died in poverty. Farther away, for example, Van Gogh was talented and productive, but everyone despised him and died miserably in a dilapidated small house. Even the famous Picasso , although they are famous and profitable, their title of scumbag is unquestionable. As for Rubens, he was a gentleman through and through. He was loyal to his feelings, loyal to his friends, and devoted to his career. He also had elegant taste, excellent taste, regular work and rest, and no bad habits. He was 100% perfect.
Back to the topic, the comfortable life and relaxed mood made Rubens full of creative enthusiasm. He combined the achievements of the Italian Renaissance with the ancient national art tradition of the Netherlands to form a passionate praise The joyful, majestic, colorful and dynamic style of painting is exactly the Baroque style that represents health and positive energy (as opposed to the sick Baroque style, please refer to the works of Mr. Boucher). Rubens is the most outstanding representative of the Baroque style.
Venus looking in the mirror, 1615, Valles Museum, London
The plump and muscular nude is Rubens's signature product. The beautiful female face inherits the delicacy of Titian (who also had a very happy life) and adds a healthy element. In Rubens' view, being slightly fat or even plump is beautiful. Optimism, cheerfulness, health, and happiness constitute the character of the characters in Rubens's paintings.
Diana returning from the hunt, 1615, Dresden Masters Gallery, Germany
In this painting, the woman in blue on the right looking out of the painting seems to attract more attention than the protagonist Diana. She is the painter's wife Elizabeth. The traditional way for painters to express love is to include their lover in the painting. Of course, the same is true for expressing hatred. But for Rubens, his life is full of love and sunshine, and all pictures are joy and beauty.
General Simon and Princess Evegne, 1615, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
This painting is based on "The Decameron". It tells the story of Cypriot's son Simon, although he is handsome in appearance, but his IQ is very low and his academic performance is extremely poor. His father disliked him and threw him into the village to work as a farmer. One day when Simon was wandering around in the woods, he saw the sleeping Princess Evgeny and was shocked. In order to marry Bai Fumei, Simon worked hard, his brain suddenly opened up, his IQ soared, and finally he reached the pinnacle of life and embraced the beauty. Simon in the painting is not very handsome, but the delicate flesh and gorgeous background of the princess and maid, the monkeys in the foreground and the piles of delicious fruits all fully demonstrate Rubens's superior painting talent.
The most famous work of this period is naturally the one below.
The Plunder of the Daughters of Thiosippus, 1617, Old Painting Gallery, Munich
This famous work, even if you don’t know it was painted by Rubens, at least you are familiar with it. It can be found in almost any introduction to Western classical painting. The story tells the story of Castor and Polyces, the twins born to Zeus and Leda, who robbed the two daughters of King Lucipos. In the picture, four people and two horses are tangled up front and back. The strong horse and the Greek hero whose mind is blinded by hormones are violently entangled with two beautiful female nudes. The female resistance and male coercion intensify the tension and drama of the picture. The bright colors make this rather violent story romantic and add to the love atmosphere. The horizon in the picture is set to a low point, which expands the proportion of the group of characters and strengthens the momentum of the picture. The painter expressed his love for vitality through the depiction of human body movement and the pursuit of love.
This story is not so happy. Although the marriage robbery was successful, the fiancés of the two princesses did not let Castor and Pollux go. They finally took the opportunity to kill their brother Castor. The younger brother was heartbroken. Finally, Zeus told them that they had become Geminis and would never be separated again.
Jan. Bruegel and his family, 1613-1615, London Cotelde University Gallery
Painting portraits for nobles and royalty is money making, while painting portraits for family and friends is a hobby. The popular Rubens painted many portraits of his friends. This family portrait shows a warm scene of harmonious husband and wife and lovely children. The wife gently clings to her husband's arms, holding the girl with one hand and hugging the boy with the other, demonstrating the qualities of the hostess as a good wife and loving mother. The male host tilted his head slightly, with a gentle smile on his face, making people think he was a gentle husband and loving father. The girl faces her brother with admiring eyes, while the brother holds her mother with one hand and tugs on her cloak with the other, indicating that the child is in a transitional stage where she needs parental protection and self-independence. The whole family has a calm and warm posture, and the gorgeous clothes on their bodies show a wealthy and stable living situation.
The male protagonist in this painting, Jan Brueghel, is also a painter. Brueghel and his son are indispensable representative figures in the history of Western classical painting.However, his father, Bruegel the Elder, was even more valuable in art. For example, the following painting "Peasant Wedding" is familiar to everyone.
Peasant Wedding, Pieter Bruegel, 1566-1569, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
3. The right time, right place and right timing
Don’t you think Rubens’s success is too simple? With the traffic support of Italian nobles and the endorsement of the Spanish royal family, he can still maintain his fighting power of making money every day when he returns to his hometown of Antwerp, a second-tier city. In fact, behind the brilliant achievements of every successful person is the combination of the right time, right place, right people, and the right people, both of which are indispensable. Rubens's success is closely related to the timing of his return to Antwerp. Flanders (Antwerp is a city in Flanders) and the Netherlands, which was ruled by Spain at the time, were in a long-term state of war. However, Spain and the Netherlands reached an armistice agreement from 1609 to 1621, and everyone needed to recuperate. Flanders therefore needed a large number of artists to decorate and transform buildings damaged during the war, especially churches. Rubens spent most of the ten years he returned to Antwerp painting church altarpieces.
The Ascension of Christ, 1610-1611, Antwerp Cathedral
In this painting, Rubens designed a diagonal composition that extends from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. The men holding up Jesus and the cross were extremely strong, and their bulging muscles showed that they were doing their best to hold up the heavy Jesus and the cross. The relatively thin and pale Jesus was not heavy at all. What was heavy was the cross behind him and the faith in people's hearts. The entire picture shows dramatic conflict and passion as always. Even with such a sad theme, Rubens still highlights the power of light, which is Jesus in the center of the picture. The bright colors dilute the tragedy of the theme.
