PETER PAUL RUBENS

The famous painter Delacroix said: "We need to see Rubens and Rubens copy must be: for Rubens - God!"

In the pink of Rubens M. Karamzin wrote in "Letters from the Russian traveler:" Rubens Flemish rightly called Rafael . . . What kind of rich thoughts! What kind of agreement as a whole! What are the living colors, those dresses!

Father Peter Paul Rubens was a lawyer, advisor Antwerp magistrate. But after the introduction in 1567 of Spanish troops in the country, when the brutal terror established by the Duke of Alba, Jan Rubens ran in Cologne. In exile in the German town of Siegen and was born June 28, 1577 the next great artist. The childhood of the boy was held in Cologne.

Only after her husband′s death in 1587 Maria Peypelinks returns with the children in Antwerp. Here, eleven Peter Paul and his elder brother Philip was cast in the Latin school. He is studying foreign languages, is beginning to get acquainted with ancient history and literature.

Early fascination with drawing and an interest in art led chetyrnadtsatiletnego Rubens in the studio artist and landscape painter Tobias Verhahta. The second teacher was Rubens Adam van Noort. In 1594 Rubens gets in the studio of a court painter Otto Veniusa - one of the largest at the time of Dutch novelists. After a four-year stay in the studio of Rubens Veniusa in 1598 was adopted by a guild of artists of St. Luke. This gives him the right to work independently, but still two years left in the Peter Paul van Veena workshop, participating in preparations for the solemn entry of the new Spanish rulers Antwerp - Archduke Albert and his wife Isabella.

In 1600, Rubens goes to Italy, where the long-existing tradition of completing his art education Dutch painters.

Shortly after his arrival there the painter entered the service of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga Mantuanskomu. Orders received from Vincenzo frustratingly short, but the duke, to distinguish at a young man deposits a diplomat, sent him in 1603 with a request to the King of Spain.

After that Rubens spent several years in Rome, where he received in his own words, "against the claims of all the best artists of the Roman" big job - the image of the main altar altar Chiesa Nuova.

In addition to altar the songs he performed the orders of Italian nobility, a lot of work as a portraitist, has written such paintings as "Self-Portrait with mantuanskimi friends (circa 1606)," Marquise Brigid Spinola-Doria (1606-1607).

Shortly after the successful completion of the altar in the Chiesa Nuova song the artist returned to Antwerp.

Photo — «Peter Paul Rubens»

His sudden departure from Rome due to news of the mother′s serious illness. As it is slow, he never managed to catch the dying.

Back in the fall of Antwerp in 1608, Rubens saw the expression on the image of one of his contemporaries, "the big city - a great wilderness. " As a result of years of war with Spain and the Netherlands Antwerp ransacked, obeskrovlen. But the spring of 1609 was declared a truce, which lasted twelve years. Flanders, finally able to breathe freely. Rubens reflected in his art so happy peaceful life. Soon he married a young townswoman Isabella Brandt.

"When he returned home - said the first biographer of the painter - his fame has become widespread, and the Archduke Albert and Isabella, wished that he wrote, was appointed his court painter, and tied to his gold chains, that he had not returned to Italy, where it can attract high prices for his paintings. "

Rubens offered good conditions - in addition to one year′s salary of 500 florins he thought a special allowance for any work that he ordered his August patrons, with the exception of their portraits. The situation of a court artist to release him from taxes, as well as all sorts of fees.

One of the first orders received Rubens on his return from Italy, was a large-scale canvas "The Adoration of the Magi" for the big Antwerp Town Hall. The following year, Rubens began the first of two monumental altar compositions, enhance its reputation in Antwerp - "Vodruzheniyu Cross for the Church of St. . Valburgi, the next song was a big altar "from the Cross.

Both altar compositions, leading to a genuine revolution in Antwerp painting, are typical illustrations of both parties rubensovskogo Art - "Baroque" and "classic. " This, of course, an oversimplification, but no doubt that both of the triptych is based on different principles. "Vodruzhenie" with its ostrodramaticheskoy diagonal composition with all the force of what is happening to the picturesque, while the "withdrawal", although the act depicted in it, have not yet finished, as if momentarily captures the rest vyhvachennoe of the flow of time.

"The pathos of the turbulent dynamics of space, the struggle of opposing forces dominates in large decorative canvases:" The Last Court, Court of Small Terrible, " The Fall of sinners "," Battle of Amazons "(1610-ies) - Notes T . P. Kaptereva. - Lyrics primordial chaos is subject perfectly organized compositions based on the diagonal, ellipses, spirals, the contrasts of dark and light silhouettes, color combinations, and stains, the flow of light and shadow painted the masses, a complex game of rhythmic harmony.

Photo — «Peter Paul Rubens»

Passionate people grapple with wild animals is embodied in scenes of hunting - the new, created by Rubens, the Flemish genre painting, which is characterized by a more conventional nature ( "The hunt for a crocodile and gippopotama", "Hunting for wild boar," 1615, "The hunt for the lions" ;, 1615-1618), the approximation to reality, a combination animalisticheskogo genre and landscape ( "The hunt for wild boar, about 1618-1620). The theme of human struggle with the forces of nature is present in the early actually works landscape artist ( "wagoner stones, about 1620).

In the first years of stay in Antwerp, Rubens became his studio. From all over the country flock to its students. "I′m to the point besieged applicants - Rubens wrote in 1611 - that many students have several years of waiting for other artists, so I can take them to himself. I am forced to reject more than a hundred candidates. " From the studio of Rubens went not only painters, but also architects, sculptors, engravers.

His contemporaries have left memories of how to delegate work in the studio of Rubens. Here is what he wrote on this over the German painter Joachim von Zandrart, one of the first biography of Rubens: "He was always himself wrote a composition on the thumbnail picture of the future in two to three inch height, in this sketch of his disciples . . . paint on a large canvas, which he then held a brush or the service the most important places. " And, as noted Zandrart, Rubens "carefully taught" their students and used them according to their inclinations and abilities. "

"With the constant desire to join a national Rubens Flemish culture is linked to a pan-European interest in its ancient, traditional art of Western Europe at the time - says NS Priymenko. - Rubens - a brilliant connoisseur of antiquities, ancient art, ancient mythology. We admire their lives, striving to convey the beauty of the living human body bring it to the ancient masters. However, by studying the monuments of ancient art, Rubens never repeated literally created by the ancient masters of the ideal of beauty. It is rethinking the classical ideal in accordance with the national ideal of the Flemish, in an effort to convey the beauty of a healthy, strong, flourishing human body, its warmth and anxious. Not so much the strictness of classical proportions and beauty care about the artist, but the physical power of human body, movement, embodied in the living flesh. An example of this can serve as many paintings by Rubens in the ancient stories that are created in the first decade of the artist in Antwerp: "A statue of Ceres," "The Union of Earth and Water" (about 1615), "The abduction of the daughters Levkippa" (1615-1620), Numerous "Bacchanalia", "Venus and Adonis," "The Return of Diana with hunting," "Battle of Amazons" (1615), "Perseus and Andromeda (1620-1621), etc.

Photo — «Peter Paul Rubens»

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" The Union of Earth and Water - as a grand allegory of world harmony in the merging of major forces that underpin world. The beauty of the composition, forming a magnificent pyramid, the beauty of color, sending countless nuances like the most daunting aspect of life, the beauty of the human body, and the late majesty gestures and poses to create a canvas that harmony, convince us that it is possible in the world.

But harmony is preceded by the struggle: the fight against the dark forces of nature to combat the scourge of the human person and the husband grows hero. What a whirlwind of unbridled struggle, which will to victory in the sketch "The hunt for the lions, where the force is equal to it with Michelangelo, Rubens exalts man′s courage!

Here is the dream come true hero in the film, certainly one of the most perfect in his work - "Perseus and Andromeda. " Perseus, the son of Zeus and Dana, killed by sea monster, full of beauty Tsarevna Andromeda, and dismiss it. Rubens is drawn to the ancient world to capture the heroism of the brave and the eternal feminine. How wonderful bluish shadows on rozoveyuschey whiteness sensuous body captive with lowered eyes and shamefaced as obayatelen its easy winning deal young hero! And over the shining glory of the goddess. Little Cupids hold of the bridle winged horse Pegasus, perhaps, the most beautiful horse ever born artist′s brush. A brush that creates this colorful gamut, which is their overflowing, air transparency, subtly transforming into a deep, saturated colors, merge into a single stream truecolor probably puts Rubens, along with Titsianom above all koloristov Italy and Flanders "(LD Lubimov ).

In the twentieth years of the XVII century, it creates a huge size and complicated to build a song, as well as the entire series of paintings. In 1624 Rubens writes "The Adoration of the Magi" (Antwerp). "Large size paintings - says the artist - gives us a lot more courage to make good and true to our vision. "

This picture is striking compositional freedom of action and vivid, major color. The traditional theme of Christian art in the interpretation of Rubens transformed into a joyful, earthly spectacle. Brush artist confidently lepit powerful figures of humans and animals, determines the shape of flying folds of garments. Each line is executed voltage, each stroke has a charge of creative energy master.

Of the portraits of this period should be specifically mentioned lovely "Portrait of gentlewoman archduchess Isabella" (around 1625).

Handsfree glory accompanied the artist.

Photo — «Peter Paul Rubens»

It is called the "king of painters and painter of kings. " In 1624 Spanish King granted the title of nobleman Rubens followed the law of inheritance of this class title. In the twenties the artist performs a series of orders the largest European courts. His customers have become Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, Spanish King Philip IV, English King Charles I, Queen of France Marie de Medici.

By the order of Maria de Medici Rubens in 1622-1625 years writing a great series of historical paintings on the life of the Queen. It creates a special type of historical painting.

"In the twenty-odd large paintings he was to present various scenes of life and of the Queen, - writes M. Dobroklonsky and NN Nikulin. - Episodes of themselves minor, but the genius of Rubens enabled him to solve the thankless task with exceptional artistic skill. It combines the elements of its cycle of genuine historical paintings with all kinds of mythological figures, allegory, allegorical hints. Thus, in a scene where Henry IV gets a portrait of Mary, the two winged genius, embodying love and marriage, is held in front of admiring King idealized image of the princess. Standing beside the woman - allegory of France, gives him the advice to heart involvement. At the scene of patronage watching from above Jupiter and Juno. The monumental structure of the songs, spectacular architecture and landscape backgrounds, the richness of color define Unparalleled quality of these large decorative paintings executed by assistants, with broad participation by Rubens. However, more sophisticated handwritten sketches of the master, in particular, a striking composition of vividness, delicacy of color solutions, virtuoso performance of large sketch "The Coronation of Queen Marie de Medici" (1622-1625). "

In the 1626 death of his beloved wife Isabella Brant. In one of his letters with pain Rubens wrote: "I lost an excellent friend . . . This loss affects me to the very depths of my merits, and because the only remedy for all afflictions - neglect, child of time, will entrust him with all my hope. " In the three years prior to this event Rubens bitterly experienced another great loss - the death of twelve years old daughter, Clara, Sareny.

After the death of Isabella Rubens surprised many and left the painting to the rank of Plenipotentiary of the Spanish Netherlands took over the maintenance of complex diplomatic negotiations. In 1630 he goes to London and there prepares world between Spain and Holland ally - Britain. The end of a diplomatic career in the same year, coincided with the marriage at sixteen Rubens Helena Faurment, distant cousin the late Isabella.

Photo — «Peter Paul Rubens»

In a letter to his friend the artist wrote: "I took a young wife, the daughter of honest citizens, even though I was on all sides tried to persuade the court to make a choice, but I am afraid of the disaster, and especially the nobility arrogance . . . I have a wife that would not krasnela, seeing that I dare to brush . . . "

Despite the difference in age, later marriage Rubens was happy Union of beauty and talent.

Alekseev writes:

"The female form is always connected features Rubens Isabella and Helena:" In the first he would like to anticipate the second line, the second would be invested as an indelible memory of the first. " Almost none canvas late Rubens is not without Helen: he wrote it Magdalene and Bathsheba, in coat, barely cover the nakedness, in the chilly Flemish ladies dress . . .

Before you - a portrait of Helen of children (about 1636), "a charming sketch, hardly marked a dream left accidentally or deliberately unfinished" (Fromanten).

On the hillside days Rubens left the yard, throw a studio, and he now lived outside the city, among their collections and paintings in the Castle Steen, surrounded by a beautiful park. The castle looked like a museum of intravital, but Helen made a warm home. Rubens their habits are not changed: even the patient, he worked every day, but his style has changed. He began to write simple, but penetrating, his paintings came to light and air. "

Rubens suffering illness. When stopped working right hand, he continues to write the left, stubbornly, heroically resisting the inevitability.

Landscapes Late Rubens reproduce epic image of the nature of Flanders, with its open spaces, dalyami, roads and the people inhabiting it: "Rainbow" (1632-1635), "The Return of the field" (1636-1638). The artist depicts a complete disaster cheerful folk festivals - "Peasant Dance" (1636-1640), "Kermessa (circa 1635).

Rubens died May 30, 1640.