"The Exaltation of the Cross." Rubens - the genius of the picturesque baroque

In history there are few names that are associated with the birth of a new artistic style, with influence on the whole epoch. The paintings on the theme of the passions of Christ, which brought him European fame (among them - "Exaltation of the Cross"), Rubens opens a new page in painting, called the Baroque era.

The King of Painters

This artist was considered to be the master of the master of different times and directions. Peter Paul Rubens had numerous students among contemporaries, his paintings were copied by Velazquez and Delacroix, admiration for impressionists and avant-gardists.

He was born in 1577 in the German town of Siegen, where his Protestant father fled Flanders from the persecution of Catholics. After his death, the family took Catholicism and returned to Antwerp, where Rubens began to study hard drawing and painting.

The most important stage in the life of the master was his stay in Italy, where he combined diplomatic and creative activity, studied the works of the masters of the Venetian school and was fond of working with the light in the paintings of Caravaggio.

In 1608, a mature master returned to Antwerp, possessing masterly craftsmanship and his own style. He receives profitable orders for the creation of paintings on religious themes, among which is the "Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord" for the Cathedral of Antwerp Our Lady.

Triptychs on the Passion of Christ

In the interior of the cathedral are four works of Rubens, among which two large triptych, consisting of a 4-meter height of wooden panels. On them Peter Paul Rubens wrote scenes from the passions of the Lord: "The Exaltation of the Cross", "The Descent from the Cross" and one less - "The Resurrection of Christ", as well as the painting "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

These works begin a happy decade in the life of the master. Peter Paul Rubens is happy in the family, he created a workshop where students from all over Europe are eager to get to, he is surrounded by the respect of the powerful and esteemed by art connoisseurs and fellow artists.

Traditional type of painting

It is interesting to choose the very form of paintings: "Exaltation of the Cross" Rubens performed in the form of a huge triptych of oak panels. The triptych was almost forgotten by then, similar creations of the master were a tribute to tradition and testified to the high culture and good education of Rubens.

Write on wooden panels - this is also an old Flemish tradition, and until now such paintings look shiny, as if just covered with varnish, which increases the visual effect from them. Huge surfaces make a strong impression and its scale - so, the size of the central part of the "Exaltation of the Cross" - 4.6 x 3.4 m, and to it are attached lateral doors - 4.6 x 1.5 m.

The exterior surfaces of panels are traditionally used for images of saints executed in a decorative style. Such is the "Exaltation of the Cross". Rubens depicts on the left shutter St. Amanda and St. Valpurgia, on the right - Saints Eligius and Catherine.

Description

The plot of the painting - one of the most popular in painting - was used several times by Rubens. Thus, in the Louvre a sketch is kept for the non-preserved fresco "The Crossing of the Cross" (1620), striking with energy and dynamics, with which the triptych from the Antwerp cathedral is all the more saturated.

On the huge space of the turn, there are 22 characters full of physical and mental tension. The general composition is imbued with dynamics - the active diagonal of the raised cross, the group of mourning women on the left wing, the warriors and those they prepare for execution on the right - the lines formed by them enter into active interactions, while uniting the individual parts of the picture in a common monolith.

On the left wing at the top are beautiful suffering Joseph and Mary, below are mourners. The background of the leaf and the central part of the triptych does not look like the image of one place, but the views aimed at the son of God are linked inextricably, and the right side unites with the central background a terrible sky above Golgotha.

The central figure of the picture - Jesus - looks like an athlete, his appearance corresponds to the greatness of what is happening and future events. Emphasized by mystical light, his figure looks poured with such gravity that the tremendous efforts of those who raise the cross seem to be futile. The view of Jesus explains the essence of this gravity - he suffers for the sins of all mankind, and the significance of such a feat is unthinkably huge. The powerful bodies of soldiers are merged into a single wave, muscled by muscles, into a single force, which aims at the erection of the cross. Rubens with amazing skill and knowledge of anatomy shows human bodies in surprisingly expressive poses, expressing terrible tension in some, suffering and sorrow in others.

It is also interesting to see Rubens, the animalist. The horse on the right is not inferior to the expressiveness of human characters, and the dog depicted in the foreground is not mentioned in the Biblical description, but significantly enriches the picturesque series and carries a symbolic load originating in the artistic traditions of the Middle Ages.

The King of Painters

Exact drawing, expressive sculptural modeling of chiaroscuro, richness of color shades, energy saturation of every square centimeter of the huge space of the picture are the distinctive features of a surprising artistic phenomenon named Peter Paul Rubens.