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almost there…
well, a little bit of nostalgia for ya… registered for the last time at bj for classes this morning. the feeling is still a bit surreal since I’ve lived my entire life with bob jones as a stabilizing influence. I’m looking forward to being elsewhere next year, but I still have to take a deep breath from time to time and realize who really is in control, because I know I’m not.
In other news, I’ve finished one of my main projects that’s been hanging over my head all semester. It was a historical analysis of Rubens’ religious painting in the seventeenth century, exploring his affiliations with the catholic church, and the effect of the italianate and romanist painting styles and the counter reformation on his paintings. that’s probably waaayy more information than you bargained for, but I’m glad to have it overwith. All I have left project-wise this semester is my massive marketing presentation on thursday. As usual, I’ve overcommitted myself in a group setting, responsible for editing the paper (read: rewrite), design tv, print, and radio ads, and coordinate the presentation. Fortunately, I don’t have to speak, so as of noon tomorrow, it will be out of my hands. That will be a wonderful day.
In the world of grades, my life is sort of unhappy right now. I have borderline grades in Pentateuch (89.5%–ouch), Marketing, Ad. Psychology, and 17th and 18th Century Europe. Oh well, I’ll just have to study a bit more for exams than usual.
Looking beyond all of that mundane school stuff, I’ll hopefully be leaving for N. PA next thursday (yes, with everyone else in the “mass exodus”) to visit one of my good friends up there. On the way, I’ll be dropping Crystal off at the Charlotte airport. Although that day is fast approaching, it still feels very far away. After classes finish up, I’ll feel a bit better about things overall though.
Probably enough rambling, especially this time of night. As the hours wear on, I tend to get more verbose, so you really know I’m tired. If you care about the aforementioned paper, I’ll throw it on the end of this post. Just press the cute little button coming up in just a few words.
The Religious Masterpieces of Rubens: 1609-1620
A Comparison of Counterreformation and Classical Influence
Peter Paul Rubens, the foremost Flemish painter of the seventeenth century, produced a large volume of work during the Counter Reformation in the Spanish Netherlands, particularly the oeuvre of 1609-1620. Before his arrival in Antwerp in 1609, a tremendous amount of political and religious unrest caused by the institution of the
Decrees of the Council of Trent by Philip II of Spain had resulted in the reversal of religious fortunes, most notably including the reestablishment of the Catholic Church as the dominant religious influence in the region. Antwerp was emptied of its merchant class and one-half of its citizenry during a period of Spanish religious enforcement, ending in the siege and capture of the city in 1585 by Spanish forces. The iconoclast movements of the 1560’s and 1570’s resulted in the destruction of Catholic art and icons, providing an ideal environment for artists to produce new paintings for various churches and patrons following the reestablishment of Catholic Spanish control.
Rubens integrated the best of the Italianate and Romanist art movements into a single cohesive unit, forming the “intimate wedding” that distinguishes the Flemish style (Glen 14). Although none of the authors dispute the inspiration Rubens found in archaic Roman art, Glen purports that Rubens’ guiding inspiration in Antwerp was the religious paintings he saw during his travels in Spain and Italy (11,12). In this light, it is surprising that Stechow strongly asserts the dominance of Renaissance idioms in posing and subject matter through the majority of Rubens’ religious painting during this period. He states that the “transformation of pagan figures into Christian ones” is at the core of Rubens’ approach to painting religious subjects (Stechow 62). Held chooses a more moderate position, melding the knowledge and vocabulary of the ancient world, the use of “Roman literary models” widely used by Jesuit poets, and classical symbols that were “so much an integral part of the vocabulary of allegorical rhetoric that they were used unhesitatingly for the illustration of purely Christian themes” (Held 173).
The Counter Reformation in Antwerp provides an excellent framework to discuss questions of motive, and the conceptual bases of Rubens. The iconoclasts had destroyed much of the installed art in cathedrals throughout the Spanish Netherlands, and the building of new Catholic churches spurred the need for new “suitable contemporary paintings” (Glen 12). Due to the strong Catholic zeal promoted by the Counter Reformation, sacred images that “would inspire the viewer to a new and greater emotional involvement in [their] faith” were commissioned by the church elite (Glen 13).
The intended symbolism of Rubens’ altarpieces during this period provides a point of contradiction among scholars. The pervasive view presents Rubens as a lackey of sorts for the Catholic Church, painting altarpieces as a form of didactic worship for the people, reinforcing the aims of the Counter Reformation. According to Glen, all of the altarpieces of this period “deal directly or indirectly with the central issues of Roman Catholicism” (27). The painting Real Presence of the Holy Sacrament, painted in 1609, provides even more conclusive evidence of pure Catholic motives for Rubens’ work. This painting represents the oeuvre of Rubens’ religious art in its depiction of the doctrine of transubstantiation, one of the first in the seventeenth century, defending the dearest doctrines of the Catholic Church against the Reformation efforts of the Protestants.
Although Rubens’ Catholic leanings are undisputed, the suggestion of modified Protestant themes, and the inclusion of pagan icons and idioms into Rubens’ commissioned work muddies the apparent purity of motive. Stechow suggests that Rubens’ fascination with the writing of ancient philosophers resulted in the veneration of these figures in methods similar to Catholic martyrs and saints. “In the finest tradition of Christian altarpieces”, Rubens integrated the Stoicist Seneca into a group portrait, venerating him through the position in the picture frame, and representations of “authority, discipleship, and pity” similar to depictions in other thoroughly Catholic altarpieces (Stechow 30,31).
A Rubens sketch, stolen in 1933 from a museum in Brooklyn, highlights another important facet of his work–the inclusion of Protestant dogma and iconographic interpretation into several of his paintings, sketches, and prints. The “origins of this iconographic formula are…linked with Protestant and specifically Lutheran theological doctrines” (Held 141). The presentation of Christ as a victor had specific Protestant connotations, especially when linked with the resurrection. Although “the process of adaptation by the Church of the Counter-Reformation of Protestant formulae” posits some explanation, Rubens’ contemporaries, particularly in the countryside, often included similar Protestant themes in their work (Held 141).
Rubens’ religious painting “dominated, if not actually epitomized, the Flemish school” in the seventeenth century (Held xvi). Although Rubens may have held divergent beliefs from that which his paintings communicate, his work still leaves a lasting mark of Catholic influence in the Spanish Netherlands and fascination for centuries to come.
well, a little bit of nostalgia for ya… registered for the last time at bj for classes this morning. the feeling is still a bit surreal since I’ve lived my entire life with bob jones as a stabilizing influence. I’m looking forward to being elsewhere next year, but I still have to take a deep breath from time to time and realize who really is in control, because I know I’m not.
In other news, I’ve finished one of my main projects that’s been hanging over my head all semester. It was a historical analysis of Rubens’ religious painting in the seventeenth century, exploring his affiliations with the catholic church, and the effect of the italianate and romanist painting styles and the counter reformation on his paintings. that’s probably waaayy more information than you bargained for, but I’m glad to have it overwith. All I have left project-wise this semester is my massive marketing presentation on thursday. As usual, I’ve overcommitted myself in a group setting, responsible for editing the paper (read: rewrite), design tv, print, and radio ads, and coordinate the presentation. Fortunately, I don’t have to speak, so as of noon tomorrow, it will be out of my hands. That will be a wonderful day.
In the world of grades, my life is sort of unhappy right now. I have borderline grades in Pentateuch (89.5%–ouch), Marketing, Ad. Psychology, and 17th and 18th Century Europe. Oh well, I’ll just have to study a bit more for exams than usual.
Looking beyond all of that mundane school stuff, I’ll hopefully be leaving for N. PA next thursday (yes, with everyone else in the “mass exodus”) to visit one of my good friends up there. On the way, I’ll be dropping Crystal off at the Charlotte airport. Although that day is fast approaching, it still feels very far away. After classes finish up, I’ll feel a bit better about things overall though.
Probably enough rambling, especially this time of night. As the hours wear on, I tend to get more verbose, so you really know I’m tired. If you care about the aforementioned paper, I’ll throw it on the end of this post. Just press the cute little
The Religious Masterpieces of Rubens: 1609-1620
A Comparison of Counterreformation and Classical Influence
Peter Paul Rubens, the foremost Flemish painter of the seventeenth century, produced a large volume of work during the Counter Reformation in the Spanish Netherlands, particularly the oeuvre of 1609-1620. Before his arrival in Antwerp in 1609, a tremendous amount of political and religious unrest caused by the institution of the
Decrees of the Council of Trent by Philip II of Spain had resulted in the reversal of religious fortunes, most notably including the reestablishment of the Catholic Church as the dominant religious influence in the region. Antwerp was emptied of its merchant class and one-half of its citizenry during a period of Spanish religious enforcement, ending in the siege and capture of the city in 1585 by Spanish forces. The iconoclast movements of the 1560’s and 1570’s resulted in the destruction of Catholic art and icons, providing an ideal environment for artists to produce new paintings for various churches and patrons following the reestablishment of Catholic Spanish control.
Rubens integrated the best of the Italianate and Romanist art movements into a single cohesive unit, forming the “intimate wedding” that distinguishes the Flemish style (Glen 14). Although none of the authors dispute the inspiration Rubens found in archaic Roman art, Glen purports that Rubens’ guiding inspiration in Antwerp was the religious paintings he saw during his travels in Spain and Italy (11,12). In this light, it is surprising that Stechow strongly asserts the dominance of Renaissance idioms in posing and subject matter through the majority of Rubens’ religious painting during this period. He states that the “transformation of pagan figures into Christian ones” is at the core of Rubens’ approach to painting religious subjects (Stechow 62). Held chooses a more moderate position, melding the knowledge and vocabulary of the ancient world, the use of “Roman literary models” widely used by Jesuit poets, and classical symbols that were “so much an integral part of the vocabulary of allegorical rhetoric that they were used unhesitatingly for the illustration of purely Christian themes” (Held 173).
The Counter Reformation in Antwerp provides an excellent framework to discuss questions of motive, and the conceptual bases of Rubens. The iconoclasts had destroyed much of the installed art in cathedrals throughout the Spanish Netherlands, and the building of new Catholic churches spurred the need for new “suitable contemporary paintings” (Glen 12). Due to the strong Catholic zeal promoted by the Counter Reformation, sacred images that “would inspire the viewer to a new and greater emotional involvement in [their] faith” were commissioned by the church elite (Glen 13).
The intended symbolism of Rubens’ altarpieces during this period provides a point of contradiction among scholars. The pervasive view presents Rubens as a lackey of sorts for the Catholic Church, painting altarpieces as a form of didactic worship for the people, reinforcing the aims of the Counter Reformation. According to Glen, all of the altarpieces of this period “deal directly or indirectly with the central issues of Roman Catholicism” (27). The painting Real Presence of the Holy Sacrament, painted in 1609, provides even more conclusive evidence of pure Catholic motives for Rubens’ work. This painting represents the oeuvre of Rubens’ religious art in its depiction of the doctrine of transubstantiation, one of the first in the seventeenth century, defending the dearest doctrines of the Catholic Church against the Reformation efforts of the Protestants.
Although Rubens’ Catholic leanings are undisputed, the suggestion of modified Protestant themes, and the inclusion of pagan icons and idioms into Rubens’ commissioned work muddies the apparent purity of motive. Stechow suggests that Rubens’ fascination with the writing of ancient philosophers resulted in the veneration of these figures in methods similar to Catholic martyrs and saints. “In the finest tradition of Christian altarpieces”, Rubens integrated the Stoicist Seneca into a group portrait, venerating him through the position in the picture frame, and representations of “authority, discipleship, and pity” similar to depictions in other thoroughly Catholic altarpieces (Stechow 30,31).
A Rubens sketch, stolen in 1933 from a museum in Brooklyn, highlights another important facet of his work–the inclusion of Protestant dogma and iconographic interpretation into several of his paintings, sketches, and prints. The “origins of this iconographic formula are…linked with Protestant and specifically Lutheran theological doctrines” (Held 141). The presentation of Christ as a victor had specific Protestant connotations, especially when linked with the resurrection. Although “the process of adaptation by the Church of the Counter-Reformation of Protestant formulae” posits some explanation, Rubens’ contemporaries, particularly in the countryside, often included similar Protestant themes in their work (Held 141).
Rubens’ religious painting “dominated, if not actually epitomized, the Flemish school” in the seventeenth century (Held xvi). Although Rubens may have held divergent beliefs from that which his paintings communicate, his work still leaves a lasting mark of Catholic influence in the Spanish Netherlands and fascination for centuries to come.