Peter Paul Rubens Massacre of the Innocents - Coursework Example

Analysis of Peter Paul Rubens’s Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre of the Innocents (1610) is an oil-on-panel painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). It was later bought by Canadian Newspaper magnate, Kenneth Thomson, who donated it to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Thomson collections. This masterpiece is a great depiction of European art during the baroque period due the bold use of color. The painting is an emotional expression of a time when King Herod heard that the King of the Jews had been born; to prevent future rivalry, he sent his soldiers to murder all the young infant boys in the nation. This painting is a good pick because it depicts various fundamentals of art (principles and elements of art). The visual analysis is based on an online virtual museum tour. The following aspects are discussed in this paper; color, value of color, form shape, space, line, texture, along with principles of design such as balance, emphasis, movement, variety and contrast. Discussion Color Color is what people see due to the reflection of light off objects. The three main characteristics of color are; intensity (how dull or bright a color is), value (how dark or light a color is), and hue (the quality of tint, tone or shade). There are various color schemes that can be used to describe a specific color e.g. primary, secondary, warm, cool, complimentary, analogous or intermediate colors. Primary colors are red, blue and yellow, mixing up primary colors gives rise to secondary colors. Colors can be warm (colors with yellow, red and orange tones), or cool (colors with violet, grey, blue and green tones). In Massacre of the Innocents, Rubens does not shy away from using bold colors; one notices the warm (red) and cool (blue) colors in the elegant draping of the soldiers and mothers. Looking at the woman on the far left, and the one holding a dagger, it is easy to notice Rubens use of shade and tone to show the difference in age between the two women. The dead babies on the floor also have a shade of blue to depict their lifeless forms. Rubens also uses secondary and complimentary colors, shades and tones to create the masculine figures of the soldiers, the vaporizing background, and the different shades of hair color. Value of the Color Value refers to the brightness or darkness of a color; colors can be made brighter or darker by adding black or white color. In this scenario, the darker color is added to the brighter color. A tint results after mixing white with another color; a shade results after mixing black with a color; a tone results after mixing gray with another color. A hue refers to the quality of tint, shade or tone. Dark colors often depict a lack of light or a grim situation. In Massacre of the Innocents the hue shows that the subject of the painting emanates from right hand side to the left hand side. This is because the quality of color on the left side is better due to a brighter use of color and light. The darker parts of the painting, e.g. the part behind the soldier raising a child high above his head is a characteristics that depicts the grim sense of mystery and a foreboding situation. The dark and light parts in the painting create a dramatic effect, a characteristic of chiaroscuro. Form Shape Form refers to the ability to look at an object from more than one side. Form means that an object or subject should have width, height and depth; this gives the object/ subject a three dimensional feel. Forms and shapes are both geometrical; however, shapes are two dimensional and usually have a flat feel. This means that they lack depth e.g. a square, triangle, and rectangle etc. Rubens’ painting is a work that uses color to such a great effect that the work of art feels alive. The use of different tones and shades of color give the subjects and objects in the painting a three dimensional feel. This shows that the painting is form-oriented rather than shape oriented. Looking at the concrete columns in the background, one notices a lighter shade of grey running down the middle of the column giving it a round effect. The soldier’s armor also has a shiny effect that makes it seem three dimensional. This is due to the quality use of tone, shade and tint to make it appear as real as possible. Space This is the void created as a result of how shapes are arranged in a work of art. Real space should have depth, it should have a three dimensional feel. There are many ways of creating space; drawing big, filling the whole working area, overlapping, placement in relation to horizon, extending lines off the working area etc. positive space is the area occupied by the primary objects in a work of art, while negative space is the space surrounding the primary object in a work of art. Rubens employs three dimensional space in depicting the buildings in the background as being smaller in the distance and larger closer up. The subjects of this painting take up a large part of the positive space, almost filling up the entire piece of work. There is also overlapping of the forms in this painting, which also creates the three dimensional aspect of real space. Line Lines are identifiable paths that define and enclose form or space. Lines are one-dimensional and can vary in direction, length and width. Lines can be vertical, diagonal, horizontal, curved, thin or thick. Lines can communicate the content of a work of art through their character and direction. In the Massacre of the Innocents, on the lower right hand side, one notices the horizontal lines on the pedestal where the bereft mother leans; this creates a state of rest. The vertical lines that make up the buildings and pillars in the background represent height. It can be interpreted as a representation of the superiority of the empire over its subjects. The use of horizontal and vertical lines in the buildings represent solidity and stability, reliability and permanence. Lines have also been used to depict the struggle through curves on the draping worn by the subjects in this work of art. Texture Texture can be defined as the surface quality of a piece of art that can be felt through touch. Visual texture, however, is two dimensional; it is clearly depicted by use of lines, color and shading. In Rubens painting, lines and different shades of the same color are used to depict the robes and draping as being smooth like silk. The wall behind the woman whose hair is pulled by a soldier appears rough and hard. This is achieved through different color shades and the rugged lines with immediate sharp edges. The hair of the subjects is also colored in such a way as to portray smooth or soft texture. Balance Balance is the manner in which lines, colors, textures, forms and space are used to depict symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial balance. Rubens painting employs all forms of balance; the columns and buildings depict stability through their symmetrical shapes. The men, women and children in the picture depict asymmetry, thus symbolizing movement. Movement Movement is the use of elements of art in such a way that the attention of the viewer is directed from one part of the design to another. The arrangement of the buildings in the painting portray movement. The shapes become blurry and smaller as they appear to go further into the distance. The asymmetrical shapes of the soldiers and women in the painting also depict motion. Emphasis Emphasis is the use of elements of art in such a way that one part of the design catches the attention of the viewer more than the other parts of the work of art. The emphasis on Rubens’ masterpiece is made on the right hand side of the painting. The soldier holds the child high up above all other characters in the painting. The two women below him seem to be trying their best to stop him from smashing the children on the pedestal or ground. This part not only catches the viewer’s attention, it invokes a sympathetic emotion for the victims. Conclusion Studying the Massacre of the Innocents gives one a perfect understanding of the fundamentals of art. Peter Paul Rubens work is a masterpiece; the intricate details in the painting clearly depict why it was auctioned at £49.5 Million. Paul Rubens was a virtuoso of his era; learning about Rubens during the virtual tour was a learning curve since one is able to identify with an artist’s ‘handwriting’ in paint. This is as a result of the way artists possess a unique way of expressing the characters, shapes and forms in their works. The Massacre of the Innocents depicts practically all elements and principles of art and design to a great effect. This is a work that takes time, precision, imagination and talent to be able to come up with. Works Cited "Art Gallery of Ontario." The Thomson Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. . The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens. Dir. David Jaffe. Perf. David Jaffe. Canada: At Gallery of Ontario, 2011. Documentary. Read More