Rubens and His Legacy: Van Dyck to Cézanne

The Royal Academy of Art, London

Photograph by: Amanda Chain

I first became acquainted with Peter Paul Rubens at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with his famous work "Prometheus Bound" which depicts the Titan Prometheus' punishment of his liver ripped out by a predatorial bird for the rest of eternity for giving the gift of fire to man. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, Rubens was one of those rare conundrums in the art world who make a fortune during their life producing a vast amount of work and died with fame and fortune. But what was it about this Dutchman that gave his works the titles of masterpieces? The exhibition at the Royal Academy brings together not only the work of Rubens, but works by other famous European painters that were hugely influenced by his work.

 "Prometheus Bound" by Peter Paul Rubens

Image: Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The first piece I was shocked to see was a work by Gainsborough, a copy of which I had in my old home in Winchester. The idyllic scene captures the imagination of the viewer because you almost feel as if you're looking into the window of a scene. To begin an exhibition with the work of another artist was somewhat startling. I expected to see perhaps some of Rubens' early work, but instead I was greeted with perhaps the most important message of the exhibition: influence. Rubens' work expanded far past the Low Countries of his birth, and his legacy is still felt in Europe and beyond.

"Tiger, Lion, and Leopard Hunt" by Peter Paul Rubens

Image: Courtesy of the Royal Academy of Art

On loan from the Musée des Beaux Artes des Rennes

The exhibition is broken down into six themes: Poetry, Elegance, Power, Compassion, Violence, and Lust. Rubens was a different artist to different painters. Some like Delacroix drew on the drama and action of his work, whereas others like Renoir looked more to he eroticism and poetry. Rubens work is distinct. He captures emotion and the voluptuousness of the human body with precise strokes and careful attention to color. He used a 'pace and tempo' style to fully shape his images.

Eugéne Delacroix "Lion Hunt" 1858

Image: Courtesy of Royal Academy of Art

Painting on Loan from Museum of Fine Art Boston

This piece by Delacroix highlights the influence of Rubens' "Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt" pictured above. Delacroix was of the Orientalist school and was very much interested in the Far East. He captures the suspense of the scene with emphasis on bold color and movement of the figures in the foreground and tranquil cool colors in the background to give the piece focus. The juxtaposition of this work by Delacroix and the Rubens masterpiece force the viewer to see the connection and the influence. This was a perfect exhibition for anyone who appreciates art and is looking to learn more about the master.

Apart from these works, I particularly enjoyed the theme of Lust. This is where the scope of his imagery comes in full force. Not only was Rubens a master portrait artist, but his breadth ranged from mythology to religious works, to nudes. He enjoyed painting buxom ladies, and he has more than once been accused of misogyny by painting women solely as objects of desire, as they tend to appear fairly passive in most of these paintings. What this overlooks is the fragility he is trying to evoke from the female form. He uses light to enhance the texture and would create a look of graduated tones by alternating between transparent and opaque colors. In this way the female body becomes not an object, but rather a metaphor for insatiability.

 "Pan and Syrinx" by Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1617

Image: Courtesy of the Royal Academy of Art, London

Work on Loan from Museumslandschaft Hassen Kassel Gemäldegalerie

This work that Rubens completed with Brueghel the Elder invokes that theme of lust quite acutely. Yes Syrinx is an object of desire as she is clearly sought after by Pan, but in the myth this is right before the moment the nymph turns into reeds. The reeds, though background foliage at first glance, are really the centerpiece of the myth and though the work is small, and your eye is drawn to Syrinx, the detail applied through long but deliberate brush strokes and knife make the reeds rather dominant. Pan through his earthly colors is not nearly as important a figure, and neither is his desire. It is the unattainability that is central.

The exhibition places the legacy and the master together so that the viewer is left with a feeling that Rubens used his brush to leave an indelible mark on the trajectory of art, and we'll be seeing the reverberations indefinitely.

The exhibition is on until April 10th at the Royal Academy of Art so hurry before it's too late!

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