Art Appreciation – Intro to Art

Art Appreciation – Intro to Art

  • Submitted By: crobin9150
  • Date Submitted: 10/01/2013 12:01 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1203
  • Page: 5
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Art Appreciation – Intro to Art

This critical essay will review one of the most famous works by Peter Paul Rubens entitled "The Raising of the Cross", which was painted between 1609 and 1610. This piece was completed in oil on canvas and is known as a triptych. According to the website http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ triptych is “art consisting of a painting or carving (especially an altarpiece) on three panels (usually hinged together).” Within each panel is a detailed and vivid scene which the artist has portrayed that will be discussed in more detail within this essay.
In the book by Richard McLantham (page 7) “Peter Paul Rubens was born into a distinguished family, whose members had been prominent for centuries in the affairs of their native city of Antwerp. Rubens was born in Germany on June 28, 1577 and not in his family’s native country.” First Impressions: Peter Paul Rubens. Hong Kong: Times Mirror, 1995 print. The website http://www.dekathedraal.be/en/rubens/geschiedenis_1.htm indicates that after the death of his father in 1587. “He was trained as a painter and became a ‘free master’ in 1598. From 1600 to 1608, he perfected himself as an artist in Italy, where he studied the sculptures of classical antiquity and the works of famous renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, and was influenced by the baroque paintings of Caravaggio.” Rubens became what was known as a “court painter” which is someone who paints for members of the royal or noble family. These individuals would work exclusively for the royal or noble family and this was a practice that appears not only in Europe but also in the Far East.

When viewing the pieces to select for this critique "The Raising of the Cross" was the one piece that truly intrigued me. I found it appealing in color and flow in addition to the detail that was delivered on each panel was also extremely captivating. In preparation for a complete review of this painting I...

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