The Life of Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens was born on June 28, 1577 to Jan and Maria Rubens. His father died when he was not quite 10 years old, and Maria was left to raise Peter Paul, his brother Philip, and their older sister on the little means she had. Maria took the children back to Antwerp from which they had fled on account of religious persecution nine years before Peter Paul was born. After Peter and Philip’s sister was married in 1590, they were forced to leave school because most of the family’s finances had to be directed toward their sister's dowry. Peter Paul and Philip were sent out to earn their living, and Peter Paul was placed as a page in the household of the Countess of Lalaing. However, Peter Paul soon convinced his mother to place him under the apprenticeship of an artist.
After studying under a few lesser known artists, Peter Paul eventually came under the study of Otto van Veen (or Vaenius), one of Antwerp’s most distinguished painters. At the age of 21, Rubens was accepted as a master by the Guild of St. Luke, the Antwerp association of artists and artisans. Rubens eventually moved to Italy to study the work of Italian artists. It was in Rome that the Archduke of the Netherlands had his representative commission three works for the St. Helena in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Since the representative in Rome had employed Philip Rubens in the past, naturally he chose to commission Philip’s brother, Peter Paul. Rubens first flawless success in a religious work was created for the Jesuit church in Genoa, and this piece, which hung over the center of the high altar, was titled Circumcision.
In 1608, Rubens made a decision to return home to Antwerp and visit his family after he learned that his mother was seriously ill, and he had every intention of returning to Italy after his visit. However, he arrived in Antwerp to find that his mother had already died. In happier news, his brother Philip was to be married the following spring, and Peter Paul was excited to stay and act as master of ceremonies. Rubens’ allegiance to the Archduke and Archduchess, Albert and Isabella, along with his new-found love Isabella Brant, a niece of Philip’s new wife, both made the decision of whether or not Rubens was to return to Italy even more difficult. Rubens eventually made the decision to remain in service to the Archduke and Archduchess, marry Isabella, and settle in Antwerp. While in the service of the Archduchess Isabella, Rubens served as her unofficial, but trusted, envoy as he traveled to several ruling houses of Europe to paint the portraits of many well-known nobles of the time.
While Rubens had been in Rome, he had become acquainted with the German landscape painter Adam Elsheimer who would serve as a source of inspiration for Rubens landscape paintings. The first landscape Rubens painted after his return from Italy, Landscape with the Flight into Egypt, bore remarkable similarities to one of Elsheimer’s paintings. In 1610, Rubens was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the church of St. Walburga. This is the purpose for which his painting The Raising of the Cross was created. In the fall of 1621, Rubens received his largest commission from Marie de' Medici, Queen of France, who requested 21 paintings which would decorate her new Luxemburg Palace. Rubens continued to complete commissions and serve as somewhat of a diplomat, and in his last few years, his works carried more political and social themes often depicted through allegories, such as in The Horrors of War which was completed around 1638 for the Grand Duke of Tuscany. On May 30, 1640, at the age of 62, Rubens died of heart failure while at his home in Antwerp.
After studying under a few lesser known artists, Peter Paul eventually came under the study of Otto van Veen (or Vaenius), one of Antwerp’s most distinguished painters. At the age of 21, Rubens was accepted as a master by the Guild of St. Luke, the Antwerp association of artists and artisans. Rubens eventually moved to Italy to study the work of Italian artists. It was in Rome that the Archduke of the Netherlands had his representative commission three works for the St. Helena in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Since the representative in Rome had employed Philip Rubens in the past, naturally he chose to commission Philip’s brother, Peter Paul. Rubens first flawless success in a religious work was created for the Jesuit church in Genoa, and this piece, which hung over the center of the high altar, was titled Circumcision.
In 1608, Rubens made a decision to return home to Antwerp and visit his family after he learned that his mother was seriously ill, and he had every intention of returning to Italy after his visit. However, he arrived in Antwerp to find that his mother had already died. In happier news, his brother Philip was to be married the following spring, and Peter Paul was excited to stay and act as master of ceremonies. Rubens’ allegiance to the Archduke and Archduchess, Albert and Isabella, along with his new-found love Isabella Brant, a niece of Philip’s new wife, both made the decision of whether or not Rubens was to return to Italy even more difficult. Rubens eventually made the decision to remain in service to the Archduke and Archduchess, marry Isabella, and settle in Antwerp. While in the service of the Archduchess Isabella, Rubens served as her unofficial, but trusted, envoy as he traveled to several ruling houses of Europe to paint the portraits of many well-known nobles of the time.
While Rubens had been in Rome, he had become acquainted with the German landscape painter Adam Elsheimer who would serve as a source of inspiration for Rubens landscape paintings. The first landscape Rubens painted after his return from Italy, Landscape with the Flight into Egypt, bore remarkable similarities to one of Elsheimer’s paintings. In 1610, Rubens was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the church of St. Walburga. This is the purpose for which his painting The Raising of the Cross was created. In the fall of 1621, Rubens received his largest commission from Marie de' Medici, Queen of France, who requested 21 paintings which would decorate her new Luxemburg Palace. Rubens continued to complete commissions and serve as somewhat of a diplomat, and in his last few years, his works carried more political and social themes often depicted through allegories, such as in The Horrors of War which was completed around 1638 for the Grand Duke of Tuscany. On May 30, 1640, at the age of 62, Rubens died of heart failure while at his home in Antwerp.