A Comparison of Peter Paul Rubens and Salvador Dali
I. In order to take a look at Peter Paul Rubens influences we must take a look at his family. Prior to Peter Paul Rubens birth, his father, Jan Rubens, had the job of being an advisor to the Protestant princess, Anna of Saxony in Antwerp. During Jan Ruben’s employment, Anna of Saxony became pregnant with Jan Ruben’s baby. Infidelity usually meant a death sentence during this time period. However, he was not put to death, instead Jan and his family were sent to exile in Siegen, Germany, just wet of Cologne. After Jan Rubens was exiled to Siegen, Peter Paul was born on June 28, 1577. Peter Paul lived in Siegen for ten years, until his father passed away.
He then moved to Antwerp with his mother, brother and sister and received a liberal classical education (Quantum,181). At the age of 13 due to his mother needing money, Peter Paul became a page to Countess Marguerite de Ligne-Arenberg. However, Peter Paul did not want to be a page, instead he was interested in painting. He learned how to paint by copying Tobias Stimmer’s illustrations (Neret, 93). And he was then granted the apprenticeship under a landscape artist named Tobias Verhaeght. Peter Paul was talented and this was noticed by many, he was soon able to apprentice under a reputable, devoted Classic, Otto van Veen. Peter Paul Rubens was able to travel to Venice, Italy and longed to visit Rome also. For Rubens believed that Rome was the great city of artists. In Venice he meets the Duke of Mantua and goes with him to Spain to work for Felipe III. The work is not only artistic but diplomatic also. During his travels with the Duke he was able to attend the wedding of Marie de’Medici to Henry IV, the King of France at that time. Later in his life he would be commissioned, after Henry IV’s death, by Marie de’Medici to paint her life, this would be the largest commission he would ever receive. Rubens would return
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to Antwerp where he would receive the enormous amount of commissions from the church,
He then moved to Antwerp with his mother, brother and sister and received a liberal classical education (Quantum,181). At the age of 13 due to his mother needing money, Peter Paul became a page to Countess Marguerite de Ligne-Arenberg. However, Peter Paul did not want to be a page, instead he was interested in painting. He learned how to paint by copying Tobias Stimmer’s illustrations (Neret, 93). And he was then granted the apprenticeship under a landscape artist named Tobias Verhaeght. Peter Paul was talented and this was noticed by many, he was soon able to apprentice under a reputable, devoted Classic, Otto van Veen. Peter Paul Rubens was able to travel to Venice, Italy and longed to visit Rome also. For Rubens believed that Rome was the great city of artists. In Venice he meets the Duke of Mantua and goes with him to Spain to work for Felipe III. The work is not only artistic but diplomatic also. During his travels with the Duke he was able to attend the wedding of Marie de’Medici to Henry IV, the King of France at that time. Later in his life he would be commissioned, after Henry IV’s death, by Marie de’Medici to paint her life, this would be the largest commission he would ever receive. Rubens would return
2
to Antwerp where he would receive the enormous amount of commissions from the church,
Bibliography: Haslam, Malcolm. The Real World Of The Surrealists. New York City: Galley Press, 1978. Kren, Emil. “RUBENS, Pieter Pauwel” Web Gallery of Art. 1996. 8 April 2007 <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/r/rubens/biograph.html> Neret, Gilles. DALI. Koln: Taschen, 2006. Neret, Gilles. RUBENS. Koln: Taschen, 2004. “Peter Paul Rubens” Olga’s Gallery. 2007. 8 April 2007 <http://www.abcgallery.com/R/rubens/rubensbio.html> Quantum. The Great Masters. London: Quantum Publishing Ltd, 2003. Ripley, Elizabeth. RUBENS. New York: Oxford University Press, 1957. Ross, Michael Elsohn. Salvador Dali and the Surrealists. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2003.