The Wolf and Fox Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example

? Artwork Analysis: The Wolf and Fox Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens Word Count 250 (5 pages) Introduction The art piece I chose to analyze was The Wolfand Fox Hunt, painted by Peter Paul Rubens. Here it will be attempted to address the following issues within the aforementioned painting: patterns, binary oppositions, and anomalies of the painting. Each of these elements will be observed in-depth. Patterns Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish Baroque painter who lived from 1577 to 1640 and he was famous for his impressive Baroque style and the intensity of his artworks. He was a master of depicting ferocious hunting scenes and capturing dramatic and dangerous situations by applying elements such as rich color and contrast, emphasizing movements by utilizing strong diagonals. By depicting animals and actions with such vitality and vividness, Rubens skillfully played with the viewers’ eyes and translated strong visuals into emotions, creating experiences of fear, tension, and danger—providing them with awe and amazement. ?As I view this oil painting by Peter Paul Rubens, the first thing that strikes my attention is the size of the painting. The painting is about 96 inches high and 148 inches wide. The magnitude of the painting makes the monumental hunting scene of the nobles even more dynamic and intense as if the scene of action is displayed on a theater screen and the danger is right before your eyes. I look closely, and, like most if not all of Rubens’s other works, this one is definitely portrayed in a dynamic fashion, with the galloping horses and all characters in violent actions. It is no wonder that he became such a famous and significant painter. His oil paintings are world renowned all over, and it is obvious why. This man had a great eye for detail and an ability to capture landscapes and animals in a way that was absolutely stunning and astonishingly good. These high-quality paintings that he created set the stage for his artworks being sold off to private collectors around the world, as well as being placed in their own galleries in several art museums globally. Binary Oppositions On the foreground, the composition is made up of two men and a woman riding on horses and a group of five men with spears in the groups. In the lower center of the composition, it is made up of two wolves, three foxes—with one being dead—and six dogs. The background is a beautiful landscape, and, upon closer scrutiny, I notice two more dogs following a man on horse on a small, almost miniscule, scale—creating a fantastic sense of depth. I then observed the facial traits of the people involved in the painting—the fearsome facial expressions on the hunters’ faces, and the cooperation of their servants. From these observations, it could be interpreted that the human action is the most important form in this painting because it leads to the deeper meaning of the image. As I have observed, the deeper meaning of this image is for the artist to effectively portray and honor the group of noble’s fearlessness and bravery and a scene of success of man versus nature. ?I have observed that the focus of the painting is the men on horses; their position in the painting reflects their high status in society. Because of such positioning, viewers would surely first recognize the nobles on horses at the heroes of the scene even though many others are involved. Aside from these observations, I also noticed the dynamic of the wolves and their expressions that show even though that men are powerful in this composition—but the wolves are not so easily defeated. One more reason that the hunter on the galloping white horse is more prominent is that sharp and bright colors could first catch one’s attention, as compared to dark colors. The saturated white horse and the saturated green jacket that the hunter is wearing make viewers more inclined to concentrate their focus on him at first. ? Anomalies of the Painting Color is a general key in setting up emotional connotation to the objects and space. For example, the use of color in the background in comparison to the foreground not only created a sense of space and distance, but also created a contrast of calm versus action. The hues used in the foreground are red, green, white, brown and grey, the intensity of the colors creating a visual feast and giving the viewers a sense of urgency and point of focus. I have noticed that green is only used twice, once on the prominent horseman, and is also used in landscape in the background. Because green is so rare in the whole composition, it highlights the importance of the horseman. In comparison, the complimentary red is used in a couple of places such as parts of the painting where there is blood. The female’s attire and the guards are secondary characters, at same time contributing to violence of the scene. The use of neutral colors grey, brown and white and complimentary colors red and green make the overall balance harmonious. ?From the painting, it could be observed that the light source is from the higher left direction. The use of lights again highlights the importance of the horseman as the brightest spot is on the left arm of the green jacket. Moreover, colors used in the painting are also effective means by which emotions are clearly expressed from the painting. More specifically, the saturation of the colors and their value are the key to understanding the content of the image. The human characters and horses were lacquered with bright, saturated colors, showing them as the protagonists of the ‘story’ the artist is telling. In contrast, the group of prey are applied with a neutral brown. ?Rubens’s expertise was using implied lines to convey to viewers the emotions involved in the painting and it is, having witnessed it, very effective. I have observed that curved, horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines are applied throughout the composition, showing a very animated, yet visually balanced, scene. The forms of the horses, foxes, wolves and dogs consist of outrageous diagonals depicting their barbarian, animal instincts. On the contrary, the implied lines of the human figures are rather vertical and that could be interpreted as an interpretation of humanity and nobility. The line composition provides spontaneity and movement, because they stimulate the viewers’ eyes with a vivid hunting scene. ?Space also plays an important role in this composition. I have observed that the arrangement of the elements and effective use of space has portrayed a surrounding scene, making the middle elements vulnerable and providing as scene of closure, which is a direct contribution to the content of the painting. Conclusion Overall, the painting The Wolf and Fox Hunt is very well-balanced with colors, forms and shapes and is very well-proportioned with its patterning; also, the proportion of the wolves somewhat looks a bit exaggerated and I construe it as a way to portray the last-minute heroism of the wolves, exhibiting binary opposition here, while, by the same token, Rubens creates an atmosphere that isn’t always ‘comfortable,’ but unnerving as an anomaly of sorts. The animals portrayed in the painting are definitely fighting for their lives. Rubens succeeded masterfully at drawing out the deeper meaning of the art piece on many levels. It is not only visually exciting to look at, but, at the same time it creates experiences rather than just having made an image representative of an action scene, diffusing emotions of the viewers in a vivid sense. WORKS CITED Rubens, Peter Paul. The Wolf and Fox Hunt. [Painting, Oil on Canvas]. Date created ca. 1615-1621. Retrieved from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Website on 31 October 2011. Country of origin: The Netherlands. Dimensions: 96 5/8 x 148 1/8 in. (245.4 x 376.2 cm). Available for viewing at: . Read More