Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens - Assignment Example

Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens Step1 Initial Exploration and Analysis This analysis revolves around Peter Paul Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents (1610), an oil-on-panel painting that employs the visual styles and designs of the Baroque period. The painting is an emotional, dramatic and violent expression of a time when King Herod heard that the King of the Jews had been born among the Jews; to prevent future rivalry, he sent his soldiers to murder all the young infant boys in the Jewish Capital. The work’s history dates back to the early 17th Century; in his youthful years, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was a Flemish painter, a humanist, and a draughtsman. The Massacre is deemed to have been inspired by Ruben’s stay in Italy, as Court Painter to the Duke of Mantua. Here, he was impressed and influenced by classical sculpture as well as the works of Renaissance and contemporary artists as is evident in the bravura display of figures. The complex and ambitious display of interlocking figures that are almost sculptural shows his admiration of Michelangelo’s work. His pictorial style shows the influence of Caravaggio’s baroque paintings. During his eight year stay in Italy, he was able to study first-hand, the aspects of chiaroscuro, emotive dynamism and sheer drama, as is evident in the Massacre. The painting’s earliest known owner was Antonio Carenna, an Italian merchant who lived in Antwerp. By the end of the 17th Century, the ownership of the painting was attributed to the Forchondt brothers who were renowned art dealers in Vienna and Antwerp; they later sold the painting, along with another work by Rubens, Samson and Delilah, to the Prince of Liechtenstein, Johann Adam Andreas I. The Massacre was then sold to another arts dealer in the 1920s; later it was later bought by Canadian Newspaper magnate, Kenneth Thomson, at a world record £49.5 million at the 2002 auction in Sotheby’s, London. Thomson donated it to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Thomson collections, where it lies to date. The violent and dramatic depiction of Herod’s massacre of the male infant Jews is both beautiful and horrific; the painting shows graphic images of the crushing of bones, cutting of skin, grabbing and pulling of hair and clothes. The masculine soldiers smash the babies on the pedestals without remorse as the mothers try to fight them off, an exquisite artistry. On the lower right, one woman kneels while cradling her dead son, at the same time, she pulls her hair in grief. Above her is a near naked herculean soldier holding a baby aloft as two mothers beg him to show mercy. The woman in the middle with a silky red skirt seems to be collapsing towards us due to the weight of the elderly woman who is also falling due to a struggle with a soldier holding a sword. The lady in the silky red skirt struggles to pull her baby towards her with one hand, while using the other hand to violently scratch the face of the bearded soldier who is struggling to get a hold of her baby by tugging at the baby’s clothing. In the background is a woman trying to run away with her child, before she can do so, a soldier in full armor grabs her by the hair and pulls her back. The soldier in the armor is also holding the lady on the far left by her hair with his left hand, while holding the lady in the background with his right hand. In the far left, one can see silhouettes of women carrying their children while running away from the horror that is Herod’s soldiers. This painting brilliantly portrays various emotions; brutality, violence, desperate love and grief. This painting is a good pick because it depicts various fundamentals of art (principles and elements of art). The various fundamentals of art discussed in this paper are; color, value of color, form shape, space, line, texture, along with principles of design such as balance, emphasis, and movement. Step 2: Research the work David Jaffe, senior curator at the London National Gallery, was one of the people who helped explain why the Massacre of the Innocents is a work of Ruben’s; due to the sale of the painting over the years from one art dealer to another, there was a confusion as to who was the true artist of this masterpiece. The painting had been attributed to Jan van den Hoecke, one of Rubens’ assistants; however, in 2001, George Gordon, Sotheby’s expert researcher, discovered and identified that the Massacre was indeed a Rubens (BBC 2002). David Jaffe later assisted explain why it is a Rubens by likening the Massacre of the Innocents to a previous work by Rubens, Samson and Delilah. In both paintings, there was a bold use of color, the texture was similar as can be seen in the draping and hair painting styles in both paintings amounted to what David Jaffe describes as Rubens’ handwriting in paint (Jaffe 2009). Further research shows that both Samson and Delilah and the Massacre of the Innocents both bore the original Liechtenstein family seals, and drawings of 1815 show the Massacre hanging beside Samson and Delilah at the Garden Palace in Vienna. Experts describe the painting as Rubens way of commenting on the unstable/dangerous social and political situation in the Netherlands. It seemed to be a desperate plea against war and violence; in this way, the Biblical topic of the painting is brought to life even today. Jaffe (2009) explains that the herculean depiction of the soldiers was inspired by Ruben’s study of Willem van Tetrode’s ecorche bronzes that show figures skinned to outline the location and interplay of muscles. Rubens study of these bronzes enabled him to understand the spatial relationships between figures, as can be seen in the interlocking figures, and also to understand the human anatomy. Tetrode’s sculptural precision aided artists like Rubens to clearly depict every muscle and sinew; this can be seen in Ruben’s paintings which show precise bones of the elbow, the masculine nature of the soldiers’ torso and legs, and the neck muscles of the woman in the middle of the painting. Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents is not limited by the flat plane, the sculptural figures seem like they could rotate; giving them a three dimensional feel that is difficult for most artists to achieve (Sue Bond). Step 3 “art/Art" In my opinion, a work of art is any place, object, or experience that clearly demonstrates the presence of various fundamentals of art i.e. elements and principles of design. The Massacre of the Innocents falls in the “Fine Arts” category, a permanent visual arts category; the painting is a fine art because it does not fall into environmental or functional art categories. It is a representation of thoughts, feelings, and emotions through on paint on panel. The various fundamentals of art evident in this painting are; color, value of color, form shape, space, line, texture, along with principles of design such as balance, emphasis, and movement 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. Role of the painting in Society The painting reminds us of the horrific Biblical events that took place at a time of slavery; Ruben’s painting evokes emotions in the viewer, looking at the extreme violence in the painting, one gets the notion that violence and brutality are vices that people should avoid. This was Rubens intent, to send an anti-war message to the world; the Massacre of the Innocents also goes to show the injustices that many people in society face, despite their innocent nature. The painting depicts naturalistic realism as a philosophical system because Rubens painted his figures in such a way as to portray realistic and natural forms as they are in reality. This is different from schematic and abstract paintings that do not take a specific form. The Massacre fulfills itself as the emotional modernist painting due to its emphasis on absolute beauty, as compared to post-modernist aesthetics that broaden the scope of art. Step 4: Interpretational Perspectives A. Social-Cultural The Massacre of the Innocents is a painting whose main theme is shared by many Christians and Jews; According to Bodley (2011), this is agreeable as a social-cultural work of art due to its topical theme of religion, and the normative aspects of social living. The painting is an emotional, dramatic and violent expression of a time when King Herod heard that the King of the Jews had been born among the Jews; to prevent future rivalry, he sent his soldiers to murder all the young infant boys in the Jewish Capital. Upon discovery of the Massacre as a Rubens, the global society went into a frenzy over its acquisition; in 2002, it became the most expensive painting to have been bought at an auction. This social acceptance makes it part of global cultural works of art. B. Symbolic Rubens painted the Massacre upon his return to Antwerp, Belgium, following his 8-year stay in Italy; experts describe the painting as Rubens way of commenting on the unstable/dangerous social and political situation in the Netherlands. It seemed to be a desperate plea against war and violence; in this way, the Biblical topic of the painting is brought to life even today. It is a cry against violence, brutality and war. C. Socio-Historical The painting’s earliest known owner was Antonio Carenna, an Italian merchant who lived in Antwerp. By the end of the 17th Century, the ownership of the painting was attributed to the Forchondt brothers who were renowned art dealers in Vienna and Antwerp; they later sold the painting, along with another work by Rubens, Samson and Delilah, to the Prince of Liechtenstein, Johann Adam Andreas I. The Massacre was then sold to another arts dealer in the 1920s and narrowly missed being bombed during the World War II; later it was bought by Canadian Newspaper magnate, Kenneth Thomson, at a world record £49.5 million at the 2002 auction in Sotheby’s, London. Thomson donated it to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Thomson collections, where it lies to date. D. Formalist The structuralist and materialist perspectives are important in describing and analyzing the painting as a work of art; the oil on panel painting employs various elements and principles of design especially those of color, contrast, value and space. These are very important in the interpretation of feelings, ideas, meanings, and purposes of the painting; the artist, date of painting and materials used are also important since they all have an effect on the viewer’s interpretation of the painting. Step 5: Judgment The painting presents itself as one of the most successful paintings of its time; it is what can be unselfishly termed as a work of artistic virtuosity. The painting presents various fundamentals of art, the precision in color, sculptural anatomy, contrast, value, use of space and shapes to create the naturalistic figures in the painting make it a successful painting. Though previously undervalued, upon discovery of the painting’s true artist, the painting gained social acceptance among many scholars of Rubens, making it one of the most expensive paintings to be auctioned. It is true, what the experts say, the painting is an expression of emotions, thoughts and feelings of the artist at a time when war was the order of the day; bringing the Biblical massacre into life in this painting helps in sending a message to many about the negative effects of violence and brutality. The painting is not only important to the religious people who believe in the massacre of the infant Jews, it is important to the Dutch people, to art, since it is a historic work of Baroque art that preserves history, culture and artistic style that ca help inspire many today. This painting qualifies as a work of art from many points of view, it combines not only the elements and principles of design, but also the beauty that most modernist and realist painters tried to achieve; the detailed oil on panel painting bears cultural significance to art as a culture, and to the Christian and Jewish people due to their religious culture. References Art Gallery of Ontario. (n.d.). Art Gallery of Ontario. The Thomson Collection. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.ago.net/new-art-thomson-collection BBC News. (2002, November 7). Rubens fetches £49.5 million. BBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2119451.stm Bodley, J. H. (2011). Cultural Anthropology Tribes, States, and the Global System, With Powerweb. (5th ed.). Maryland: Rowman Altamira. Jaffé, D. (2009). Rubenss Massacre of the Innocents: the Thomson collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Toronto: Skylet Pub./The Art Gallery of Ontario ;. Sue Bond PR. (n.d.). Rubens’s The Massacre of the Innocents at The Thomson Collection. Sue Bond PR. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.suebond.co.uk/events/release.php?eventid=289&preview= University of Oregon. (n.d.). POEs: Places, Objects, and Events. blackboard.uoregon.edu. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from https://blackboard.uoregon.edu./webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_386684_1%26url%3D Read More