In the Cathedral of our Lady in Antwerp lies a triptych painting displayed inside the church, the majestic image called the "Elevation of the cross." It is a painting made by Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish artist known for his diplomatic and religious painting style. It is called a triptych painting because it has three hinged panels, and the two outer panels can be folded towards the central one. All three sections of the image relate to the events that occurred during the crucifixion of Christ but in more expressive, dramatic poses and elaborated ways to persuade the audience.
I have seen a lot of painting versions of the crucifixion way back in the Philippines and here in the US. Still, this one strikes me the most because of the incredible detail of the painting and the interpretation that comes to my mind when I see the historical figures in the image. I am so impressed by how Reubens put his thoughts into colors and figures and placed them in relation to one another with every space in the painting. In the middle, you can see muscular people lifting the cross, signifying our sins' heavy weight, which made me reflect on how great the love of Christ is to die for our sins. On the left side, you can see the faithful people devoted to the Lord; Mary, the mother of Jesus, St. John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, and a group of women weeping, seeing Christ being elevated on the cross. (Pritchard) You can see a touch of Caravaggio style of painting on the left side of the section, which includes a strong contrast between light and dark colors above John and Mary. On the right side is a group of Roman soldiers directing the thieves to be crucified like Jesus, that is nailed on the cross. There are a lot of emotions in this picture. The way he did the muscle proportions and flesh is so realistic and thorough that you could feel people's movement. Reuben was successful in not using a lot of colors in this painting which reminds me of Chiaroscuro, which gives it a striking effect that shows a feeling of sorrow and tragedy. I was looking closely at the exaggerated muscled bodies and the expressive faces; all this tells us that Michaelangelo and Italian Mannerism greatly influenced Rubens.
In the renaissance period, many artworks became controversial. They helped spark the Counter-Reformation, like the Allegory of Law and Grace by Lucas Cranach, which showed different sides of achieving God's grace. Catholic churches were reformed, and Christianity was divided into groups. Decades later, Pope Paul III initiated a council meeting consisting of church members and religious leaders in the north Italian city of Trento, known as "The Council of Trent."(Kilroy-Ewbank) In this meeting, they discuss artworks that need to be appropriately depicted. A lot of artworks were destroyed during the baroque period. But Reuben's painting was different. We can see that Paul Reuben's painting complied with the guidelines because it showed accurate events that happened during the crucifixion of Christ. So it was displayed in the church during the critical period when Art greatly influenced the Catholic church.
Works Cited
Kilroy-Ewbank, Lauren. “The Council of Trent and the Call to Reform Art (Article).”
Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance- reformation/reformation-counterreformation/beginner-guide-reforrmation/a/the-council-of-trent-and-the-call-to-reform-art.
Pritchard, Shannon. “A-Level: Peter Paul Rubens, Elevation of the Cross.”
Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/peter-paul-rubens-elevation-of-the-cross-3/.
“What Is Triptych?” ArtIconog, 22 Dec. 2019, https://www.articonog.com/2019/12/what- is- triptych.html.
Wow! What a beautiful triptych. It's enormous, I can only imagine how much time it took to paint since its so tall. With the stand its on, its even further elevated, which I think fits the subject matter. It's size is important for it to be seen across the cathedral. The dramatic composition is meant to inspire religious transcendence in it's viewers. Also, the musculature is definitely impressive as you said, but something subtle that amazes me is the amount of detail in the foliage in the environment. It's extremely meticulous while also not taking away attention from the rest of the work. I can definitely see how this baroque painting is influenced by renaissance styles.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is so intense and just really emulates glory and intensity. I have an appreciation for art like this, especially since works during this period were heavily tied to stories and trying to portray this on their piece. The attention to detail was especially important as even the most minuscule of detail in a piece such as this one was crucial to understanding the artist's message. I think what I love most about this piece that you chose was just the intensity of the colors that are displayed here. Bold and dark colors during this time were such a mood changer and really put emphasis on elements on the canvas!
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