Rubens: The “Pioneer” of Flemish Painting

The Baroque period, much like the Renaissance, was also a cultural phenomenon with multiple strands flourishing simultaneously. Today, I will talk to you about a very famous artist from the Northern Netherlands—Rubens.

Rubens: The “Pioneer” of Flemish Painting

1. Rubens (1577-1640) is an outstanding representative of early Baroque art and one of the most iconic figures in Baroque art’s sensuality. His influence extended for more than two centuries. Rubens’ oeuvre includes over 2,000 works, covering subjects such as religion, mythology, portraits, and landscapes. He was the most prolific Baroque painter of the 17th century in Europe.
2. Rubens, full name Peter Paul Rubens, was born in Siegen, Germany. His father died when he was 12, and he returned to his hometown, Antwerp, under Spanish rule, where he was baptized into Catholicism. Thus, religion became an important theme throughout his painting career. Rubens was also a diplomatic envoy for the Spanish Habsburgs and enjoyed great prestige throughout Europe. He is regarded as the “pioneer” of Flemish painting.
3. Rubens was active in Flanders, a historically renowned region in Northwestern Europe, which referred to the southern Netherlands, roughly covering present-day northern France and western Belgium. The entire Netherlands region, from the Renaissance onwards, was a prominent art center in the North. The Baroque painters active here were all influenced by Rubens. Even if they did not study directly under him, his artistic legacy was certainly passed down, even indirectly.
4. Rubens’ compositional style is very distinctive; he favored diagonal compositions that conveyed a strong sense of dramatic conflict. His masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents tells the story of King Herod’s order to massacre infants, fearing the birth of Jesus would threaten his throne. In the painting, everyone seems to be in disarray, but the main figures stretch from the lower left corner to the upper right corner. The diagonal composition gives a sense of instability and dramatic tension.
5. The compositional approach of Rubens highlights a significant contrast between Baroque and Renaissance painting. In the Renaissance, triangular compositions sought stability, conveying elegance and harmony. Rubens’ style, however, amplified romanticism and drama, filling his works with dynamic life and energy. In another representative work, The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus, the movement is not solely derived from the intense action of the two horses, but more from the diagonal line formed by the intertwining bodies of the three main figures, which creates a sense of tension as if the scene is unfolding before us.
6. Rubens’ use of paint and brushstrokes also distinguishes him from earlier painters. In The Massacre of the Innocents, the brightest parts are where Rubens applied thick white paint. Unlike the smooth, even application of paint in the Renaissance, Rubens applied his paint thickly with a texture, creating a three-dimensional effect. The oily paint reflects natural light, making it appear brighter and more exaggerated than simple white paint, giving a dramatic emphasis.
7. Rubens’ technique for underpainting was also quite different from other artists before him. While most artists used light colors as underpaint, Rubens used deep brown. In his view, white represented light, which was not a natural color, and thus the blank canvas should be dark. All objects seem to “grow” out of the dark background, which underscores the Baroque emphasis on light and dark contrast.
8. Rubens made his own unique contributions to the portrayal of shadows. Earlier painters’ shadows were often lifeless, merely a layer of dark paint. However, Rubens understood that shadows could vary in color. In his portraits, he used a cold tone first, followed by a warm tone, leaving shadow areas where the two tones met. This created lively, detailed shadows, closely resembling real-life observations.
9. Rubens was the first artist to achieve high political status through his painting skills, becoming a “painter turned politician.” The Netherlands was divided between the Catholic south and the Protestant north. Rubens, as the ambassador of the southern Flemish rulers, often traveled for diplomatic missions. His career reflects the growing ability for artists in his era to gain high political status through their talents.