Art History IIThe Baroque

Rubens and Van Dyck

Peter Paul Rubens ran a huge Antwerp workshop and painted with energetic color; his assistant Anthony van Dyck became court painter to Charles I of England.

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In the Catholic southern Netherlands (Flanders, today Belgium), the city of Antwerp had its own Baroque. Its leader was Peter Paul Rubens (1577 to 1640). After eight years in Italy, where he studied ancient sculpture and the paintings of Titian and Michelangelo, he settled in Antwerp in 1608. He was also a scholar and a diplomat who carried messages between the courts of Spain and England, and was knighted by both kings.

Rubens painted with energy: twisting bodies, swirling drapery, warm, glowing skin and rich reds and golds. He ran one of the largest workshops in Europe, which turned out altarpieces, ceiling paintings, portraits and designs for tapestries and book illustrations.

Looking closely: Le Chapeau de Paille

Peter Paul Rubens, Le Chapeau de Paille, about 1622 to 1625. National Gallery, London.

Describe. A young woman, probably Susanna Lunden, the sister of Rubens's second wife, stands with arms folded under a wide black hat with feathers, against a bright blue sky. Analyze. She is painted outdoors in daylight, and the hat casts a shadow over her eyes, yet her face glows with light reflected from the sky and from below. The red sleeves and the deep blue sky are strong complements. Interpret. It is an intimate portrait of someone in the painter's family, and a display of how light behaves out of doors, long before the Impressionists made that their subject.

Key idea

Rubens ran a huge Antwerp workshop and painted with energetic color and movement. His most gifted assistant, Anthony van Dyck, became court painter to Charles I of England.

Why it works

Big commissions such as altarpieces and palace ceilings needed many hands. In Rubens's workshop the master made the design, often an oil sketch; trained assistants and specialists painted large parts; then Rubens finished and corrected the work. Prices could depend on how much of a painting he did himself.

Common mistake

People think a "Rubens" was painted by Rubens alone. Large works came from his workshop: Rubens designed them and painted key parts, assistants did much of the rest, and specialists sometimes added animals, flowers or landscapes. Museums label works "Rubens and workshop" when the evidence shows this.

Anthony van Dyck

Anthony van Dyck, Charles I at the Hunt, about 1635. Louvre, Paris.

Anthony van Dyck (1599 to 1641) was Rubens's most gifted assistant. In 1632 he settled in London as painter to King Charles I, who knighted him. In Charles I at the Hunt, the king has dismounted and stands at ease, hand on hip, in a landscape, while a groom holds his horse. The low viewpoint makes him seem tall; his relaxed pose and silver silk suggest a gentleman as well as a king. Van Dyck's elegant portraits set the pattern for British portraiture for more than a century (see The Grand Manner Portrait).

Worked example: Master or workshop?

A huge altarpiece by Rubens has a brilliantly painted central figure, while some background figures look stiffer. What might explain this?
  1. Large works were made by Rubens's workshop.
  2. Rubens often painted the most important parts himself.
  3. Assistants may have painted the rest from his design.

Answer: The difference may show the master's hand and his assistants' hands in one work.

Two Flemish Baroque portraits: Rubens (A) and his assistant Van Dyck (B).

Practice

Pass with 3 right answers, the last 2 in a row. Each right answer earns 2 XP.

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This is one of the top rungs of Art History II: Baroque to Modern.

Sources and further reading

  • Grokipedia: Portrait of Susanna Lunden (Le Chapeau de Paille)
  • Grokipedia: Charles I at the Hunt
  • National Gallery, London: Portrait of Susanna Lunden (?) (Le Chapeau de Paille), NG852
  • Musée du Louvre: Charles Ier à la chasse (INV 1236)
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