Rubens and

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Rubens and Caravaggio
By Ali Engels 7th Hour
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Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens was considered the greatest Flemish
painter of the 1600's. He was born in Siegen,
Germany. His family was Protestant but he had
himself baptized as a Catholic. He was successful
as a diplomat and as an artist. In 1609 he became
court painter to the Governors of the
Netherlands. He received many commissions for
his series of paintings on the life of Marie
deMedici. His paintings are known for their
large scale, colors, and emotional intensity. He
was influenced by artists like Michelangelo and
Raphael. Rubens died of gout in 1640 at the age
of 68 and was buried in Antwerp.
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Caravaggio
Caravaggio was originally named Michelangelo
Merisi but he later renamed himself after his
birthplace in Italy. Caravaggio had a very
innovative style of painting. Most of his
paintings were of saints painted as regular
people. His paintings had dark backgrounds with
an intense spotlight on his main
subjects. Caravaggio was notorious for fighting.
In 1609 he killed a man by stabbing him in the
groin. He fled to Naples and then went to Malta
where he was inducted as a knight by Alof de
Wignacourt. He was later expelled from the Order
because of his fighting. Carravaggio died of a
fever on his way to receive a pardon in 1610.
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Important Works Caravaggio

• Painted as an apology to the Grand Master of the
  Knights of Malta.
• Shows his own head on the platter.

• Shows Levi being summoned by Christ to become
  Saint Matthew
• One of three paintings of St. Matthew decorating
  the Contarelli Chapel

• Was Caravaggios first painting with more than
  one figure
• Caravaggio painted two versions of this painting
• Was very popular

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
The Calling of St. Matthew
The Fortune Teller
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Important Works Rubens

• Rubens produced many hunting scenes in 1614 and
  1615
• A lot of Rubens work was very energetic

• Part of the altar piece painted for the Cathedral
  of Our Lady
• Established Rubens as Flanders' leading painter.

Hippopotamus Hunt
St. George and the Dragon
The Elevation of the Cross
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Timeline Caravaggio
--Born September 29, 1571 in Caravaggio Italy
--Became an apprentice to Simone Peterzano(1584)
--Arrived in Rome. Earned money working for
Giuseppe Cesari.(1592)
--Hired to decorate the Contarelli Chapel.(1599)
--Killed a man in a fight and fled to
Naples.(1606)
--Died of a fever.(1609)
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Timeline Rubens
--Born June 28, 1577 in Westphalia, Germany.
--Had himself baptized as a Catholic.(1589)
--Moved to Spain to work as a diplomat.(1603)
--Married Isabella Brant.(1609)
--Wife died.(1626)
--Married 16 year old Hélène Fourment.(1630)
--Died of gout.(1640)
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Conclusion
Art during the Renaissance was very orderly.
Baroque artists came up with new ways to make
their art more exciting and dramatic. They
painted works that were large-scale, realistic,
and emotionally intense. They used expressive
colors and used light and shadow to emphasize
their subjects. I chose Rubens and Caravaggio
because I think theyre both good examples of
baroque artists. Caravaggio is a good example of
how artists used light and shadow. Most of his
paintings had a very dark, plain background with
a spotlight on his subject. Rubens work shows
the expressive and exciting qualities of baroque
art. He also painted things in large scale and
used vibrant colors.