Rubens A&I (Art and Ideas) [Paperback]

Kristin Lohse Belkin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0714834122 | ISBN-13: 978-0714834122 | Publication Date: October 22, 1998

One of the most versatile and influential artists of northern Europe in the 7th century, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) had a remarkable ability to bring his paintings intensely and joyfully alive. He was a successful businessman who ran an efficient studio, and was also a classical scholar, an enthusiastic collector of art and antiquities, and a respected diplomat on intimate terms with European royalty. Contemporaries admired his extraordinary artistic versatility. His paintings include portraits, altarpieces, allegories and landscapes; he also designed tapestries, book illustrations, silverware and his own home. In this study, Kristin Lohse Belkin shows that there is more to Rubens than the Rubenesque nude. She explores his techniques and workshop practices, the role of women in his life and art, and his engagement with contemporary issues of Church and state. She unravels the allegorical and iconographic content of key works, situating them within their original settings. Drawing on his extensive correspondence, she traces his involvement in the events of his time.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Phaidon continues its "Art & Ideas" series with these two explorations of major artists. Both books firmly anchor the art in the life-context and experiences of the artist, thus allowing the reader to chart clearly his thematic and stylistic development. Belkin (an editor of The Letters of Peter Paul Rubens, Northwestern Univ., 1991) sets the stage for a discussion of Rubens by explaining the political and religious divisions in the Netherlands and by examining his early family life. She traces Rubens's visit to Italy, where he immersed himself in the works of Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Correggio, and then follows him to Antwerp, where he was both a full-fledged painter and a diplomat in good stead with the major courts of Europe. She does a marvelous job of tracking the progression of Rubens's artistic, allegorical, and iconographic content. The author also posits Rubens as a disillusioned diplomat who saw and portrayed women as peace-bearers in an age of turmoil. Bohm-Duchen (Understanding Modern Art, EDC Pubs., 1991) uses the flow of information since glasnost to flesh out the social, religious, and cultural context of Chagall's development as an artist. Although he preferred to be known as an intuitive "tabula rasa," Chagall's Russian-Jewish upbringing; his travels to Paris, Berlin, Palestine, and the United States; and his witness to two world wars greatly affected his work. The historical background Bohm-Duchen gives here can lead toward a better understanding of Chagall's art, but her Chagall is not as fully revealed as Belkin's Rubens. His persona still floats, unmoored, like the Green Violinist against the stark white background of the book's front cover. Based on their price and scope, both books are recommended for public and academic libraries.ANadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (October 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714834122
• ISBN-13: 978-0714834122
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Rococo
  • #17 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Baroque

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Introduction, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rubens A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

I read this book for an upper-level college art history class and loved every page. I was actually sad that I finished the book! Few art history books combine the stunning visual images and masterful prose that this one does. A very interesting and informative book that will introduce you to one of the most under-appreciated artists - the genius Peter Paul Rubens.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How much of this work is original?, September 2, 2005

By 

Peter Goldstein (Huntingdon, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rubens A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

The blurb on the back of this book calls Kristin Lohse Belkin a "Rubens specialist," and the book itself, lively and informative, does seem to be the work of someone who knows her subject. Why, then, would she have to copy a book written thirty years ago? On page 60 of the Time-Life volume The World of Rubens, 1577-1640, by C. V. Wedgwood (1967), we find the following description of the painting "Prometheus Bound":

"According to Classical legend, Prometheus stole the secret of fire from the gods and gave it to man. To punish him for this misdemeanor, Zeus bound him to a rock where he was to be tormented for all time by a devouring eagle. In painting his larger-than-life-sized picture, Rubens created a powerful effect by showing Prometheus with massive foreshortened limbs and by having the eagle's wings span the captive giant in a great predatory arc."

On pages 129 and 132 of Belkin's book, we find the following:

"According to classical legend, the demigod Prometheus stole the secret of fire from the gods and gave it to man. To punish him, Zeus, the ruler of the gods, bound him to a rock where he was to be tortured for all time by an eagle who fed on his liver. In this larger-than-life picture, Rubens created a powerful effect by showing Prometheus in strong foreshortening, his massive thighs drawn up in pain. The eagle's wings are spread wide so that they span the captive giant in a victorious arc."

One hopes the copying is unique and unconscious (the Wedgwood book, by the way, appears in the bibliography at the back of Belkin's book), but it doesn't inspire confidence in the author's originality.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best history book I have ever read!, February 24, 2006

By 

C. Strasbaugh (Dalton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rubens A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

Being in an art history masters program, I have read many books. However, this Rubens book as well as any other book by the same press seem to capture attention through clever stories about the artist as well have great pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone.