Whodunit Wednesday: Peter Paul Rubens

One of the first times we visited Antwerp I remember having someone point out that the famous painter, Rubens, had lived here. His house is now a museum downtown. I had heard the name of Peter Paul Rubens and knew that he had been a painter, but did not know much about him. 

Pieter Paul Rubens was born in 1577 and is considered the most influential of Flemish Baroque painters. He was also a diplomat who traveled around Europe and mingled with nobility. His paintings are well-known. Rubens’ female nudes were typically full-bodied, which was considered voluptuous at the time. Today we still might call a woman “Rubenesque”. Whereas later generations might consider a thinner woman more desirable, the fashion in Rubens' time was for voluptuous women. This showed that they were rich and healthy. 

Rubens painted all sorts of subjects. He painted portraits of the rich and famous, started with landscapes and continued on in later life with Biblical themes. Several of his apprentices became famous in their own right, just as he, too had followed the greats of his time. You might be familiar with his paintings "Susanna and the Elders", "Lot and his daughters", or "Landscape with milkmaids and cattle".  

Those who enjoy art either love or hate Pieter Paul Rubens. His technique is unmistakeable. One has to decide if the style fits one’s taste. His emphasis is on color, movement and sensuality. But it is clear that he is one of the greats - from the little country of Belgium, right “down the road” from us in Antwerp. 

Whodunit Wednesday - Painting a picture

Both Belgium and the Netherlands have their fair share of well-known painters. People may not be able to pronounce their names correctly, but they can usually recognize their work. Most will recognize the gobbed on paint of the Sunflowers from Van Gogh who was from the Netherlands. ‘Van Gogh’ is not pronounced "van go" but closer to "fun ghugh" where the "gh" is a sound you make like clearing your throat.  

The 'Girl with the pearl earring' from Vermeer, another Dutch painter, is not only well-known but avidly copied. Piet Mondriaan is highly recognizable for his paintings of blocks of color - red, blue, yellow. Most people think, “I could do that!” And of course everyone recognizes and knows about Rembrandt. 

But there are many Dutch painters well worth discovering, either from the golden age or much more recent. Jan Steen portrayed everyday life in the Middle Ages. Jan Toorop was an impressionist. The church in Eindhoven meets at a building on the Jan Toorop street. 

The full bodied women in most of Pieter Paul Ruben's paintings show what the beauty standard of the day was in his time. You can visit the Rubens House in Antwerp, Belgium. In Brussels you can go to the Magritte museum and see most of his work. Many will be aware of the men with a hat hovering above their head or paintings of what is clearly a pipe - and the words in French “This is not a pipe”. 

Victor Horta was one of the founders of Art nouveau in Belgium. Horta’s buildings in Brussels paint in steel and glass and are one of the main attractions to the city. We we can end with the Brueghels, a family of painters. Pieter the elder, Pieter the younger and Jan the elder were all famous. Both the Netherlands and Belgium claim them in some way. 

That’s how things go here. Although a Dutchman may say that a Fleming (someone from Belgium who speaks Dutch - or Flemish) speaks funny, they can understand one another. There is a bit of common history. And they share lots of commonalities. The churches, too, work well together and are thankful to be family of one another, in whichever country.