Peter Paul Rubens is rightfully considered one of the greatest Flemish artists of the 17th century. His paintings are stored in the best galleries in the world, and many of the painter's works are visually known even to those who have never heard his name. The most famous paintings by Rubens with names and descriptions are presented later in this article.
Brief biography of the artist
Peter Paul Rubens was born on June 28, 1577 in Siegen (Germany), in a wealthy and famous family of artisans and merchants. When the future artist was 8 years old, the Rubens family moved to Cologne (Germany), where the young man studied in the humanities, first in a Jesuit school, and then in a rich secular, he studied Greek and showed the ability of phenomenal memory. At age 13, thanks to family ties, Peter Paul was placed on a page as a page to the Belgian Countess de Lalen. But the young man did not want to be a courtier, and a year later he began to study painting. His first famous mentor was the artist Otto van Veen.
In the early 1600s, a novice artist traveled to Italy and Spain, where he was very much inspired by the school of old masters. Rubens's paintings with the names "Self-portrait in the circle of Verona friends", "Position in the coffin", "Hercules and Omphala", "Heraclitus and Democritus" were painted during this period. He made many copies from famous paintings by Italian and Spanish artists, such as Raphael and Titian.
After a trip that lasted more than 8 years, Peter Paul Rubens arrived in the Belgian city of Antwerp, and already in 1610, in Brussels, received the title of court painter from the Duke of Albrecht. Many of Rubens’s paintings with names containing the names of the duke and his wife Isabella Clara Eugenia appeared at that time, since the ruling couple did not want to part with the artist - their influence greatly contributed to the creative success and recognition of Rubens. But he still did not want to stay in Brussels, returned to Antwerp and married Isabella Brant, who became his favorite model and mother of three children. In 1611, the artist acquired a huge workshop for himself and his family, and from that moment on, a particularly fruitful period of his work began. Nothing constrained the artist - he was provided with money and time, and also got enough skills for free creativity.
Over the entire period of his artistic work, Peter Paul Rubens painted more than 3,000 paintings, many of which influenced the work of subsequent generations of artists. He was not an innovator, but honed the classic Flemish style to an incredible level of vitality and beauty.
In the 20s of the 17th century, Rubens also mastered a diplomatic career. This was facilitated by fruitful work at the court of Maria Medici. Now the artist regularly visited England and France on political issues.
In 1626, the 34-year-old wife of Rubens died of the plague. After this shock, he temporarily left painting and delved into political and diplomatic activities. Now his missions have spread to Denmark and Spain, but the difficult political situation and the expulsion of the Medici provoked hostility towards Rubens from other diplomats, once they directly stated that "they do not need artists." He still tried to establish political ties, but finally left this sphere in 1635.
But in the midst of diplomatic activity, in 1630, the artist again seriously took up his brush and decided to get married again - the chosen one of the 53-year-old Rubens was the 16-year-old merchant's daughter Elena Fourmen. From that moment, she became the main model and inspirer of the artist, he painted many portraits from her, and also used mythical and biblical heroines to portray him. Elena gave Rubens five children, but he lived with her only ten years. The artist died of gout on May 30, 1640.
Self portraits
Portraits of Peter Paul Rubens, which he painted himself, exceed the number of self-portraits of any of the artists before him. And after that only Rembrandt could compare with him in this. Rubens also loved classic self-portraits, and endowing with his own face some hero of the plot picture. The first such work was "Self-portrait in the circle of Verona friends", written in 1606 in Italy. It is interesting that on the canvas the face of the author differs from the faces of his friends - it is as if highlighted by an invisible source and is the only one looking directly at the viewer.
And the most famous self-portrait can be considered written in 1623 - almost no Rubens biography can do without this picture, a reproduction of which is presented above. Another famous portrait is The Four Philosophers of 1611, which will be described in more detail below. The artist’s last self-portrait was a painting written a year before his death, in 1639. A fragment of it is presented in the subtitle "A Brief Biography of the Artist". And here are some more paintings in which the portrait of the author appears:
- "Self-portrait with Isabella Brant" (1610).
- "Self-portrait" (1618th).
- "Self-portrait with his son Albert" (1620s).
- "Self-portrait" (1628).
- "Garden of Love" (1630th).
- "Self-portrait with Elena Fourman" (1631).
- "Rubens, his wife Elena Fourman and their son" (late 1630s).
The Last Judgment
Under the name “Last Judgment”, Rubens has two paintings, and both are in the Munich Gallery “Old Pinakothek”. The first of them, a fragment of which is presented above, was written in 1617. It is made with oil on a wooden panel measuring 606 by 460 cm, so the second picture, the size of which is 183 by 119 cm, is often referred to as the “Little Last Judgment”. Most of the canvas is occupied by mere mortals, literally scattered in different directions by the power of Christ who descended to them. Some of them are dressed, some are naked, but horror and despair are on all faces, and some are completely dragged away by demonic creatures. God in the form of Jesus Christ is depicted at the very top of the picture in the center, light comes from him, instead of clothes there is a bright red canvas, and behind him are either saints or dead who have already gone to heaven. On the sides of Jesus stand out Virgin Mary and Moses with holy tablets in their hands.
In the second painting, which Rubens painted in 1620, you can see a continuation or variation of the first canvas. Despite the smaller size, the canvas is more elongated, God is again at the very top, but now the image of hell has appeared. Sinners pour into the abyss, where they are greeted by joyful devils, and angels with trumpets do not allow people to climb up, defending themselves from them with shields.
Altar Triptychs
For Rubens, altar works became one of the main types of artistic activity in the period from 1610 to 1620. They are called altars because the artist painted them mainly to decorate the church, and some even directly in the church, in order to catch the correct light drop in the place where the canvas will be. During this time, Rubens created seven paintings with a crucifix, five - demonstrating the moment of removal from the cross and three with its erection, as well as many other images of Christ, saints and biblical stories. But the most famous among them are triptychs that are in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp. The triptych "Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord", a fragment of which can be seen in the main photo of this article, the artist created in 1610 for the altar of the ancient church of St. Wolburg, and the paintings fell into their present place in 1816. The triptych "Descent from the Cross" (can be seen above) was created specifically for the Cathedral, which is to this day, from 1612 to 1614. Many call this monumental canvas the best work of Rubens, as well as one of the best paintings of the Baroque era in general.
"Union of land and water"
Rubens's painting "The Union of Earth and Water", painted in 1618, is in the State Hermitage (St. Petersburg). The canvas depicting the Earth goddess Cybele, the sea gods Neptune and Triton, as well as the goddess Victoria, has several meanings at once. Neptune and Cybele make an alliance, gently holding hands and looking at each other, they are crowned by Victoria, and the son of Neptune Triton, rising from the depths of the sea, blows into the sink. First of all, the plot personifies the divine connection of the feminine and masculine principles, since for the artist a complete naked woman has always been a symbol of the earthly, fertile, natural. But for Rubens personally, the “Union of Earth and Water” was also an allusion to the difficult situation of the Flemings, deprived of access to the sea during the Dutch blockade. The simplest interpretation can be considered the mythological unity of the two elements, leading to world harmony. Since the canvas, being in the Hermitage, was considered a property, in 1977 postage stamps with this painting were issued in the USSR.
"Three Graces"
Another of the artist’s most famous paintings was painted in the last year of his life - the 1639th. The canvas with the elegant name "Three Graces" is stored in the Spanish Prado Museum. In it, in the artist’s favorite manner, in some paradise, three naked full women are depicted, personifying the ancient Roman graces - the goddesses of fun and joy. In ancient Greece, these goddesses were called Harites. They swirl gently in dance, hugging and looking at each other, apparently in a pleasant conversation. Despite the identical figures, the image of which Rubens always included exceptionally smooth, rounded lines without a single angle, he made a difference between women in hair color. A blonde blonde stands in the bright part of the landscape against the sky, a brown-haired woman, on the contrary, is depicted against a background of trees, and between them, at the turn of light and darkness, a red-haired goddess was harmoniously written out.
"Two Satyrs"
Rubens painting "Two Satyrs" continues the theme of mythological creatures. It was written in 1619 and is now also located in the Munich Old Pinakothek. Unlike most of the artist’s monumental works, this canvas has a relatively small format - only 76 x 66 cm. In ancient Greek mythology, the satellites were called the moons of Dionysus - the god of winemaking, cheerful forest demons with goat legs and horns. It is known that satyrs were not too lazy to do only two things - to debauch with nymphs and drink wine. Rubens portrayed two opposite types of satyrs - the one in the background clearly prefers alcohol. His lean face and excess flowing down the glass testify to this. In the foreground, the voluptuous is clearly depicted - a lustful look and smirk literally pierce the viewer, and a bunch of grapes gently squeezed in his hand will make even the most sophisticated viewer embarrassed.
"Perseus frees Andromeda"
Above you can see fragments of three paintings. The first belongs to the brush of Lambert Sustris - "Perseus frees Andromeda." It was written in the middle of the 16th century. It was this work that inspired Rubens to create his first canvas of the same name in 1620. Changing Sustris’s somewhat flat medieval style, the artist practically literally reproduced the poses of the heroes and the general mythological plot (second fragment). This picture is stored in the Berlin Art Gallery.
Two years later, Rubens again turned to the plot of Perseus and Andromeda and painted another picture with the same name (third fragment). Despite the small difference, the artist’s characteristic style is already revealed to a greater extent - the goddess of victory Nick again crowns the heads of the characters, and small cupids flutter around. Despite the fact that Perseus is an ancient Greek hero, he is dressed in the costume of a Roman warrior. Like the Union of Earth and Water, this painting belongs to the collection of the State Hermitage Museum.
"Venus in front of the mirror"
In his 1615 painting, “Venus in front of the Mirror,” Rubens to some extent repeats the plot created earlier by Titian, in which the half-naked Venus looks in the mirror, held by cupid. However, the black servant present next to Venus Rubens suggests that his Venus is not a goddess at all, but an earthly woman prone to divine narcissism. According to his custom, the artist again depicted a full-bodied white-skinned woman without clothes, but with gold jewelry and a thin, translucent canvas at her feet. The maid either combs, or simply sorts out the beautiful golden hair of her mistress. Currently, the canvas is stored in the Vienna Museum of the Liechtenstein Collection.
"Four philosophers"
In 1611, Four Philosophers, Rubens, in addition to himself, portrayed his beloved brother Philip, the learned philosopher Just Lipsius and his student Jan Woverie, who died this year. Also on the canvas was Pug - the beloved dog Lipsia, who bowed his head on the lap of Voveria. There is no special plot background in the picture: like "Self-portrait with Verona friends", written about the death of Lipsius in 1606, the picture is a dedication to Rubens’s loved ones and the time he managed to spend with them. You can see the canvas in the Florentine Palazzo Pitti.
"Lion Hunt"
From 1610 to 1620, the artist was passionate about writing hunting plots. Having achieved great mastery in the depiction of the human body, he wanted to combine it with only the mastered demonstration of the bodies of large animals. One of the most famous paintings on this subject by Rubens is “The Lion Hunt”, written in 1621. The confrontation of human weapons and the forces of wild animals is clearly shown in the bold confrontation of two muscular lions to seven hunters, half of which attack on horseback. One of the lions is ready to tear to pieces a hunter who was defeated on the ground with a dagger, the other with his teeth pulled the hunter off his horse, clutching its claws in the body of the animal. Despite the fact that this lion is stabbed immediately with three spears, it is angry and does not back down, and only the sword of one of the hunters gives hope to defeat the angry beast. One of the hunters lies unconscious with a knife in his hand. Particularly interesting in this picture is the fact of the joint hunting of eastern and European characters - this becomes clear from their clothes and weapons. Currently, the picture is stored in the Munich "Old Pinakothek".
Portraits of lovers
A rather large collection consists of paintings by Rubens with names containing the name of his first wife, Isabella Brant. As a rule, these are either her personal portraits or joint self-portraits of the couple. In the selection of reproductions above you can see:
- "Portrait of Lady Isabella Brant" (late 1620s).
- "Portrait of Isabella Brant" (1610).
- "Portrait of Isabella Brant" (1625).
- "Self-portrait with Isabella Brant" (1610).
The last picture is considered one of the best in portraiture of the artist. He and his young wife are depicted incredibly vividly, as if in a photograph - it's hard to believe that the characters are not captured momentarily. One of the most beautiful details of this canvas can be called the hands of lovers and their gentle touch, transmitting love and interaction is better than if the characters just looked at each other. Currently, the canvas is also stored in the Munich Old Pinakothek.
Portraits of Elena Fourman, which can be seen above, became the main plot of Rubens painting in the last years of his life. Fragments of the following paintings are presented:
- "Elena Fourman and France Rubens" (1639).
- "Portrait of Elena Fourman" (1632th).
- "Fur coat" (1638).
- "Elena Fourman in a wedding dress" (1631th).
- "Portrait of Elena Fourman, the second wife of the artist" (1630).
- "Rubens with his wife Elena Fourman and their son" (1638th).
But the most famous portrait of Elena Fourman brush of her husband is considered written in 1630, a reproduction of which is presented above. On it, a 16-year-old young wife is depicted in a magnificent outfit, a beautiful velvet hat in the Dutch style and with two delicate rose flowers pressed to her stomach. It is believed that during this period the second wife of Rubens was already pregnant, and this is what the flowers in the stomach represent. The canvas is in the Hague Royal Art Gallery of Mauritshuis.