Peter Paul Rubens ( 1577-1640 )

The art piece that I selected for my analysis is called The Triumph of Divine Love by Peter Paul Rubens. The artwork is an oil painting on canvas, circa 1625. This piece of art was commission by Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain and Portugal. The Triumph of Divine Love was one of eleven art pieces in a series portraying the Eucharist cycle, an important issue in the Catholic-Protestant strife. Its purpose was to aid in the Catholic Reformation and the artwork was to be displayed at the Convento de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. (Ringling Museum n.d.)

An in-depth study reveals mankind’s literal presentation of Mary to God for appraisal and judgment, rather than a simple depiction of her journey upward. The painting illustrates man’s—not God’s—physical act of lifting Mary up, creating a truly dynamic canvas. To do all of this, El Greco uses strong geometric divisions and hidden lines to take control of the viewer’s eyes, and sly manipulations of gravity and forces to create an image truly in motion. In the end, El Greco uses the painting’s overwhelming size and orientation to alter perspective and succeeds in tying the viewer’s fate into the scene itself.

Charles B. Hodge, Jr., is a prolific writer and a minister of the Church of Christ. He closes each chapter of The Agony & Glory of the Cross with “The Cross…there is no other way!” Thus, I have taken Reverend Hodge’s declaration for the title of this review. He further explains his thesis of the importance of the cross: “Jesus could not save Himself and still be our Savior. There is no way but the cross.” The unique approach to teaching the New Testament – and Christs’ journey to Calvary – requires several readings, analysis, and return to biblical text.

The Bible has been translated into 451 languages, sold over 6 billion times, and depicted in over 40 movies. The Bible and the crucifixion of the Messiah are prominent aspects in cultures all around the world today. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been translated, dramatized, televised, adapted, and cartooned. In “The Dream of the Rood,” translated by R.M. Liuzza, the Biblical cross comes to life to tell its own version of Christ’s death and resurrection. The author recreated the Biblical account to appeal to the Anglo-Saxon warrior group to effectively convert them. However, the story from the cross’s perspective matches the crucial material of the Biblical account of the crucifixion without defaming Christ.

Jesus' decision to physically cast out the moneylenders from the temple stands as one of the most interesting events of his life, because it represents what seems to be the only moment in the Gospel narratives where he becomes visibly angry to the point of physical action. While one could argue that Jesus is frequently (and justifiably) angry with the disciples from time to time, this is the only moment that Jesus' anger moves him to physical force. Although the event is recorded in all four of the Gospels, this study will focus specifically on its rendering in Matthew, because when considered in the context of Matthew's larger narrative, one can see how Jesus' decision to cleanse the temple does not represent an aberration in either his character or theological message, but rather the natural culmination of Jesus' life and works prior to that point, and demonstrates a kind of revolutionary, anti-authoritarian element of Jesus' message of salvation that is all too often overlooked by Christians and critics alike.

On September 19, 2015 I visited the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin, where I observed The Raising of Lazarus by Joachim Wtewael in the European Old Masters gallery. The piece recreates the biblical narrative of Lazarus’ resurrection and demonstrates the exorbitant style of Mannerism popular during the 16th century. Wtewael establishes the significance of the Christ with his application of form through the use of unrealistic contortions of the people, the lines following the exaggerated limbs of the congregation, and the abundant use of the color red on almost every article of clothing.

The next work is from Peter Paul Rubens. This creation was probably made in mid-1630 during his stay in Madrid. The painting is named “Venus and Adonis”. We can find that Rubens was one of the most interested artists of endowing the art of painting with prestige. He is the symbol of the baroque scholar Velazquez always wanted to imitate. This is due to its wide humanistic and religious culture, the mastery of several languages, the skills for diplomacy and its natural intelligence. Rubens reaped important prizes and noble distinctions of the kings of Spain and England that allowed him to acquire the dominion of Steen. For this reason he always self-portraits as a perfect gentleman, dressed elegantly and with the distinctive elements of his

Another example of how Steinbeck focuses on the community in this story is when Doc makes a statement about what men admire in their community. These lines are stated in John Steinbeck’s novel and are talking about how the men in their community or area admire kindness and honesty but love self-interest, greed, meanness, or even egotism. This is just an example of how the people in the community are trustworthy and have kind or nice personalities. A personal interview with Michael Hemp on John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row is a very special video that talks about the history of Cannery Row and also the community.

The subject of religion has captured the attention of artists for centuries, working its way throughout the years, in and out of various of styles and movements. The artists of this era often found themselves reliant on this subject matter due to Churches being a steady Patron throughout the Renaissance all the way to the Baroque period. Whether it was because of the rich cultural impact to society or the enforcement of strong divine beliefs, depicting biblical narratives have struck an everlasting cord within this medium. Two particular ones, in fact: The Deposition from the Cross (Entombment of Christ) by Jacopo Pontormo and The Entombment of Christ by Michelangelo Caravaggio. Both of which provide an excellent example of how culture and artistic style combined can alter the message of the same iconic scene and still evoke different emotions.

Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish painter who is described by Janson as someone who might be said to finish what Dürer started. (Janson 421) He refers to the breakdown of the artistic barrier between the North and South. Rubens was trained by local artists in Antwerp until he was recognized as a master in 1598. But after moving south to Italy in 1600 he developed his own personal style. And his first piece since his return from Italy to Flanders was dubbed as “charistically Baroque” (Janson 421).

After reading the articles, it is clear that article 3 resonates with me. One reason is that in paragraph 5 Blanton said,” Being honest all the time is what’s radical—and rare. Many people think they tell the truth, but they don’t because they withhold information. Have the courage, to be honest, and have a relationship with others based on reality. Don’t avoid the issues.” For example, Blanton says to have the courage, to be honest, but I am not courageous enough to tell my parents if I lied because I would get my butt yelled at. The article also points out that in paragraph 11 Blanton says Yes, but we shouldn’t manipulate the truth except for rare times—if you’re hiding Anne Frank in your attic because her life is in danger.” This is important

The Canterbury Tales is a series of stories that are told by a group of pilgrims who are headed to the Canterbury Cathedral. Within these series of stories, there is the pardoner and the reeve, both who shows contradictory characters. The Reeve is a very deliberate and virtuous, business guy. However, the pardoner’s appearance is recognized as a blonde haired man who is loved by everyone he encounters. Nonetheless, he is so depraved and intelligent, but he sells spurious religious things to the community. Furthermore, the pardoner tells a story that includes a great precedent of the seven deadly sins and within that story there is one sin that may affect the community in time back then and also at the present time. Greed, one out of the seven

The image of Jesus nailed to a wooden cross by the palms of his hands and with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head is one that has transcended all time barriers. It has inclusive been replicated into figure form that is utilized in various ways but whose primary function is to serve as a constant reminder of the physical suffering endured by Jesus. In The Dream of the Rood however, the perception of Jesus Christ as not only the son of God and savior of mankind but also as a human with the capacity to feel pain, is subverted when through the perspective of a personified cross he is conveyed as a warrior in the midst of combat. The portrayal of Jesus in this way immediately evokes the image of an ideal stereotypical hero who is strong,

Peter Paul Rubens is known as one of the great artists of the Baroque period. Notorious for his paintings of religious scenes, mythology, and portraits, his style is easily recognizable through his portrayal of large, pale, nude women (Johnson 144, 145). In his painting, Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt, Rubens positions Diana, a goddess in Roman mythology, at the forefront of the piece partially topless, reflecting her fertility and sexuality; meanwhile in the background a confrontation between a nymph and satyr display the conflict between nakedness and nudity, male and female, and obscene and control. Diana is the Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, childbearing, and chastity.

During the 17th century, especially after their break from Spain, The United Provinces of the Netherlands became the most prosperous nation in Europe by leading the world in trade, science, and art. Through the huge and one of the first art markets, art became a common household possession and allowed artists to freely express themselves, which is one of the evidential factors in three of the most universally admired artists of the baroque art era. Rubens, an influential Flemish artist of the Italian baroque scene, focused more on the works of the counter-reformation while the masters of the Dutch baroque art, such as Rembrandt, were in the heart of the protestant Dutch Republic. These three artists share similar artistic styles but yet have extremely evident differences and influences. The artists’ work also have a great portrayal of the historical and social impacts of the 17th century.