Family
Both his father and mother were from Antwerp. His father,
Jan Rubens was a distinguished lawyer. However the family
had to leave Antwerp after they converted to Calvinism from
Catholicism, to escape religious persecution. Peter Paul
Rubens was born in Siegen, Westphalia (currently Germany),
as were his brother, Philip and his sister, Baldina. His
father, became the advisor of Princess Anna of Saxony, wife
of Prince William I of Orange. Soon after his death in 1587,
his mother, with the family, would return to Antwerp. The
family converted back to Catholicism at this point. His mother,
would live in Antwerp until 1608 when she passed away
Career
Peter Paul Rubens, was well educated prior to deciding to
pursue a career in painting. At a Latin school, he was educated
in the classics. And after that, he served as a court page.
He was apprenticed with Tobias Verhaecht, Adam van Norrt,
and Otto van Veen. All three, considered to be minor painters
however they were greatly influenced by the 16th-century
mannerist artists characteristic of the Florentine-Roman
school. In 1598, when he was only 21, he was accepted as
a Master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke .
Rubens,
was drawn to Italy, in the same way that many other artists
of this time. In 1600 he went to Venice, where he
saw the paintings of Titian , Paolo Veronese and Tintoretto
All of which had great influence upon his work. He was very
impressed by their work, and the style of these paintersAfter
his visit to Venice, Rubens visited Rome. In Rome he was
greatly influenced by the painters Michelangelo and Raphaelin
addition to the Greco-Roman sculpture One can see how greatly
he was effected and admired these artists and many others
when one reads through the letters that were exchanged between
himself and others during the time period. In the book "The
Letters of Peter Paul Rubens" you can see his response
to the various artists he encountered. Although one example
is hard to extract (source 4).
For
nine years, Rubens was employed by Vincenzo Gonzaga
duke of Mantua. In 1605, he served as an emissary to King
Philip III of Spain. During this time, he was also greatly
influenced by some of the early baroque painters such as
Annibale Carracci and Caravaggio It has been said, that when
Rubens left Italy he was no longer a member of the bourgeois
but a gentleman. He was well known on an international level,
and had an established reputation
He
returned to Antwerp in 1608, just after the death of
his mother. Soon afterwards, in 1609 he would marry Isabella
Brant His reputation preceded him and upon returning to Antwerp,
had many commissions that were already being anticipated.
He was hired as a court painter to the Austrian archduke
Albert and his wife, which served as a confirmation of his
success. At this point he was receiving so many commissions,
that he had a well established workshop. Rubens did the initial
sketches and the final touches, and his apprentices were
responsible for filling in the steps in-between
In
1626, his wife, Isabella, would pass away. Despite the
intense grief that this caused. Rubens would still continue
to be enormously productive He would however devote a great
deal of his time to political issues. The fame he had already
established, allowed him to travel freely amoung the royal
courts, without any danger. Finally in 1630, the peace treaty
between England and Spain was signed, and Rubens was given
sole credit to the treaty. Before leaving England, King Charles,
knighted Rubens .
In
1930, upon returning to Antwerp, Rubens married Hélène
Fourment He spent the rest of his life in Antwerp, in his
country home. He continued to produce many paintings, until
his death in 1640, at the age of 73.
