Importance Of Flemish Painter Peter Paul Rubens

Flemish Painter Peter Paul Rubens

A Painter and a diplomat

Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish painter and diplomat counted as the leader of the Flemish Baroque School. During the last decades of the 16th century the Flemish School of Painting was just struggling along and hadn’t produced a master in the arts for a long time. It was then that Peter Paul Rubens got his artistic training at this school and acquired his belief in the humanistic values of classical antiquity. During his lifetime Rubens acquired a reputation in the art world that brought him commissions from England, Germany, France, the southern Netherlands, Spain and Italy. He was well-known for his unstoppable imagination, immense capacity for work and sheer productivity.

He hadn’t yet, reached the age of 45 when he was already being described as “the master workman of

This is actually a commemorative painting that represents the late Justus Lipsius, a Flemish philologist and humanist with two of his scholars, one being Ruben’s brother Philip (also recently deceased). Ruben’s first big project after returning from Italy involved the Raising of the Cross a triptych for the church of St. Walburga (now the Cathedral of Antwerp). This was followed by another triptych the Descent from the Cross in the Cathedral. In his painting the “Great Last Judgment” he creates an apocalyptic vision of the torments of the damned. Rubens’ workshop was open and he had pupils and assistants to help him. One of this assistants was Anthony Van Dyck, who became a Flemish Baroque artist. At this time many art works were created including two altarpieces that glorify the first saints of the Jesuit order, the “Miracles of St. Ignatius of Loyola” and the “Miracles of St. Francis Xavier”. In 1620 Rubens was commissioned to do a series of 39 ceiling paintings for the Jesuit Church of Antwerp. Unfortunately these were destroyed in a fire in