Pierre
Rubens (1577-1640) is the most representative painter of 17th-century Baroque art. Full of passion, he used sensuality to depict lust and violence in response to anti-reform trends. His work combines Flemish realism with Italian color. The magnificent Marie de Medici series...
Rubens (Pierre-Paul Rubens) (1577-1640) was the most representative painter of 17th-century Baroque art. Overflowing with talent and passion, he expressed sensuality to portray lust and violence, responding to the tide opposing reform. The greatest characteristic of his works is the synthesis of Flemish realism and the distinctive, sensual colors of Italians.
The magnificent Marie de Medici series masterpiece consists of 21 large paintings commissioned by French Queen Marie de Medici from Rubens as decoration for the Luxembourg Palace. It took Rubens four years to complete; this series depicts the story of the queen's life. (This series is currently housed intact in the Medici Gallery at the Louvre Museum.)
Marie de Medici's Wedding (c. 1622-1625): 610 x 467 cm, oil on canvas, held at the Louvre Museum in Paris. This elegant "Wedding of Marie de Medici" is the most brilliant piece in the series, depicting a bishop solemnly presiding over the wedding in a resplendent palace, while the Grand Duke of Tuscany places the marriage ring on the princess's slender finger in place of King Henry IV. The princess's finger becomes the focal point of the painting. Clearly, this meaningful painting was painted specifically for the Medici family, with other figures serving merely as foil. Through Rubens' careful execution and rich Italian colors, the scene is full of vitality and vividness. Especially on Medici's face, her noble expression is unhidden, naturally revealing the joy she felt upon being chosen by the king, as she would soon become queen. This exquisite work may be the most realistic depiction of historical events in the series, thus becoming a model for later historical paintings.
Additionally, there are two late works: Eleonora and Her Children (c. 1636), which portrays Rubens' second wife and their children, revealing infinite affection in domestic life; and Peasants' Festival (c. 1635-1638). This latter work represents Rubens' departure from classicism in his later years and is his most important and brilliant masterpiece from that period, dynamically displaying light and movement within a dramatic composition.