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_Paul Rubens and the Baroque Period _
By: David
For this formal analysis paper I would like to talk about a painting done by
the artist named Peter Paul Reubens. The piece itself is entitled, "The
Apotheosis of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de Medicis
on May 14, 1610." The painting was completed in the year 1610, and today it is
on display at the Louvre in Paris, France. This painting was one of many that
I had to choose from when I was deciding on what to write about. Many internet
sites across the world had so many pieces from which to look at, but when it
really came down to it, I wanted to write a paper over a topic on which I have
held great interest in, that which of course is the Baroque style of painting.
Peter Paul Reubens (1577-1640) exemplifies the Baroque style in painting, as
did another type of artist from that period who excelled in the art of
sculpting. That artist which I speak of, is of course Bernini. Both men were
very prolific workers, and according to the text, were the favorites of very
powerful rulers. Yet aside from his artistic prowess, I find Reubens' usage of
religious themes in his paintings to be very appealing, and I think that is
why I liked his work entitled, "The Apotheosis of Henry IV and the
Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de Medicis on May 14, 1610," so much. In
addition, I was amazed at his mastery of implying the elements and principles
of art, which in essence made this work achievable. Therefore, for the
remainder of this paper, I would like to go into greater depth of the use of
those elements of art and the principles involved which in my mind made this
work a masterpieceThe first aspect of this painting that I would like to
discuss is Reubens' usage of color. Although it is hard to clearly distinguish
the colors on the print-out which I had made, the color scheme of this work is
very much like that of Reubens' other work entitled, "The Horrors of War."
Both works are oil on canvas and both seem to utilize the use of light
pastels. The use of light colors seems to make the bodies in the painting glow
and draw direct attention to that which is taking place in the painting. The
most noticeable figure in the artwork is the female standing directly in the
center with the white cloth wrapped around her body. Reubens apparently wanted
the viewer to take notice of this figure, and by emphasizing her appearance
with the extreme usage of white colors, his goal was achieved. By doing so, it
really makes all of the other individuals not stand out so much and I think
Reubens implied this technique on purpose. Yet with all of that said, the
painting itself is full of rich and defining contrasts that sets each area of
the painting apart from one another Another aspect of the painting, which I
would like to discuss, is that of shadowing and shading. Reubens was very good
at this technique because it was emphasized throughout and is extremely
noticeable on the subjects' bodies. Casting shadows and shading is a very
difficult technique because the artist must decide where the source of light
is coming from and how it interacts and reflects upon the objects in the
painting. In this particular work, it appears that there was very little light
involved, yet by the light and dark shades that are found on the subjects'
bodies, it is evident that a light source was intended The third aspect of
the painting that I would like to discuss is that of perspective. More
specifically, I would like to note that this painting falls under the realm of
the linear perspective. By definition, linear perspective is a system for
representing masses in space using a scale in which size represents distance,
closer things being larger than those farther away. If you look at the
painting very closely, you will notice that this is truly the case. Like I
mentioned earlier, the woman in the middle is clearly the central focus, and
not mistakenly, she is also the biggest figure in the painting. All of the
other subjects seem to encompass her, and as you will notice, the further away
from her that you go, the smaller the other subjects become. The use of linear
perspective has always fascinated people and the most extravagant use of this
technique was in the Baroque period. The illusions can be very convincing
because what it shares with our experience is one of the basic parts of
vision: "that more distant things appear smaller." The fourth and final aspect
of this painting which I would like to discuss is emphasis. Often artists
emphasize one part of a composition, designing the piece so that the viewer's
attention is drawn irresistibly to that part. In my opinion, the woman
standing in the middle of the painting is the emphasis of this particular
work. Reubens made this woman brighter, bigger, and even more dramatic for a
reason…he wanted her to stand out. Emphasis can be very important. It reveals
relationships of meaning and power and lends itself among the parts of a work
of art. The question we should now ask is why is this woman the central figure
and what is her importance? Although we may never know the exact answer for
sure, one thing is definitely clear…her presence is very luminous and since
this happens to be a religious work of art, the wings behind her give her the
appearance of a supernatural power. To conclude, I think this painting is an
excellent example of an aesthetic piece of artwork. Many of the elements of
art are used and for appearance sake, this painting is very appealing to the
eye and is extremely beautiful to look at. The subject matter is very inviting
and has significant religious and historical connotations. I was very
impressed with this painting and I have the utmost respect for Reubens and all
of his creations. This painting is no doubt a success and I'm highly positive
that it is enjoyed by audiences worldwide.
Word Count: 1041
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