Peter Paul Rubens

Flemish painter (1577-1640)

Peter Paul Rubens was a renowned Flemish artist and diplomat of the Baroque tradition. He is known for his highly charged, colorful, and sensual compositions that drew inspiration from classical and Christian history. Rubens was a prolific artist who produced a wide range of works, including altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings, as well as designing tapestries and book frontispieces.

Table of Contents

Family Info

Siblings

Christine von Dietz

Philip Rubens

Spouses

Isabella Brant

Helena Fourment

Children

Albert Rubens

Nicolaas Rubens, Lord of Rameyen

Peter Paul Rubens III

Claire Rubens

About the Peter Paul Rubens

Sir Peter Paul Rubenswas a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens’ highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of classical and Christian history. His unique and immensely popular Baroque style emphasised movement, colour, and sensuality, which followed the immediate, dramatic artistic style promoted in the Counter-Reformation. Rubens was a painter producing altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. He was also a prolific designer of cartoons for the Flemish tapestry workshops and of frontispieces for the publishers in Antwerp.

He was born and raised in the Holy Roman Empireand moved to Antwerp at about 12. In addition to running a large workshop in Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. Rubens was a prolific artist. The catalogue of his works by Michael Jaffe lists 1,403 pieces, excluding numerous copies made in his workshop.

His commissioned works were mostly history paintings, which included religious and mythological subjects, and hunt scenes. He painted portraits, especially of friends, and self-portraits, and in later life painted several landscapes. Rubens designed tapestries and prints, as well as his own house. He also oversaw the ephemeral decorations of the royal entry into Antwerp by the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria in 1635. He wrote a book with illustrations of the palaces in Genoa, which was published in 1622 as Palazzi di Genova. The book was influential in spreading the Genoese palace style in Northern Europe. Rubens was an avid art collector and had one of the largest collections of art and books in Antwerp. He was also an art dealer and is known to have sold important art objects to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

He was one of the last major artists to make consistent use of wooden panels as a support medium, even for very large works, but used canvas as well, especially when the work needed to be sent a long distance. For altarpieces he sometimes painted on slate to reduce reflection problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist and diplomat who is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. He was known for his highly charged, colorful, and sensual compositions.

Rubens produced a wide range of artworks, including altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings with mythological and allegorical subjects. He also designed tapestries and book frontispieces.

Rubens was born and raised in the Holy Roman Empire (modern-day Germany) to parents who were refugees from Antwerp in the Duchy of Brabant (modern-day Belgium). He later moved to Antwerp around the age of 12.

Rubens’ unique and immensely popular Baroque style emphasized movement, color, and sensuality, which followed the immediate, dramatic artistic style promoted in the Counter-Reformation.

Rubens was an extremely prolific artist, with a catalogue of his works by Michael Jaffé listing 1,403 pieces, excluding numerous copies made in his workshop.

In addition to being a renowned artist, Rubens was also a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.

Rubens’ highly charged compositions referenced erudite aspects of classical and Christian history, and his unique Baroque style emphasized movement, color, and sensuality.