Peter Paul Rubens, The Elevation of the Cross, c. 1610-11
Rubens received this monumental commission from the Catholic Church, who were in the proces of restoring Antwerp to Catholicism after the counter-reformation. Rubens doesn’t depict Christ as suffering; instead, Christ is a heroic, powerful figure, rippling with muscles and strength instead of hanging limply on the cross. Rubens essentially turned Christ and the saints into Christian heroes, which is exactly what the church wanted to try and revitalize its followers. In its original location, this altarpiece would have been seen by members of the congregation, requiring the overemphasized sense of scale, dynamic movement, and color to ensure that everyone could see what was being depicted. The bottom of the canvas is in the foreground, bringing the image into the viewer’s space; you can almost hear the noise and grunting of the figures working to raise Christ. Rubens is drawing from sketches he made while in Italy and Spain; the musculature is reminiscent of Michelangelo.
(via shondsees)
