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Artist Peter Paul Reubens

The Life and Art of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens is often named by art historians as the leading exponent of the Baroque style of painting, and is credited for being the first artist to marry the characteristic styles of Northern and Italian Renaissance art. He is also called the great painter of the Counter-Reformation whose works embodied Orthodox Catholic doctrine. Although his father was an ardently Calvinist Antwerp lawyer after his fathers death Peter Paul was raised a Roman Catholic (Pioch 2002). His foremost artistic influences came from studying in Catholic Italy and Spain during his youth, where he gave particular attention to the works of Titian. Rubens adaptation of Titans robust depictions of the female form would give birth to the adjective Rubenesque.

Rubens works are characterized by unparalleled sprawl and a love of monumental forms and dynamic effects although towards the end of his career, he did paint more sedate portraits and landscapes (Pioch 2002). To fulfill his royal commissions, including the famous 21-painting cycle depicting the life of Marie de Medicis, originally painted for the Luxembourg Palace Rubens set up his own studio along the lines of Italian painters' workshops, in