'The Power of Transformation': Rubens in Frankfurt's Städel Museum
The Baroque painter was seen as an outstanding genius of his era. The Frankfurt exhibition shows how Rubens was influenced by Greek mythology and fellow artists, both his 17th-century contemporaries and his predecessors.
'Crown of Thorns'
"Ecce homo!" ("Behold the man!") According to the Gospel of John, these were the words that Roman governor Pontius Pilatus used to present the tortured Jesus to the people. Rubens depicted this moment in the above painting, "Crown of Thorns," created at an early stage of his career around 1612. Biblical stories have fascinated artists of various eras.
A stylish self-portrait
Peter Paul Rubens painted this self-portrait around 1638, roughly two years before his death. He had already painted a similar work in 1625 on a commission from the future King Charles I of England, who was a passionate admirer of Rubens. In both paintings, the artist wears the fashionable accessories of the time: a huge hat, a robe with a white collar and a cape.
Judith beheading Holofernes
It was actually another artist, the Italian painter Caravaggio, who produced the best known portrayal the devout Jewish widow Judith beheading the Assyrian war leader Holofernes. But Rubens was likewise fascinated by this story from the Old Testament. He finished his own interpretation of the Biblical scene between 1609-10.
'Prometheus Bound'
According to Greek myth, the Titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods and passed it on to the humans. For this he was condemned to torture: bound to a rock, an eagle would feed on his liver every day, which would then magically grow back after being consumed. It took Rubens and fellow artist Frans Snyders, who painted the eagle, roughly six years before they finished this masterwork in 1618.
'Death of Hippolytus'
Greek mythology was a reoccurring theme in Rubens' work. Here, the hero Hippolytus rejects the love of his stepmother, who subsequently commits suicide — but not before she had claimed that her stepson desired her. The sea god Poseidon commands a sea monster to attack Hippolytus. The hero's horse-drawn carriage turn overs, and he dies a tragic death.
Copying a Venetian master
In the mid 1630s, Rubens came across a work by Venetian artist Titian entitled "The Worship of Venus"(1518-19). Rubens copied the painting and its depiction of little cupids frolicking and kissing, also modeling the scene's lighting after Titian. A major difference between the original work and the copy, however, is the size. Rubens' version (1635, above) is almost twice as wide as Titian's work.
'Pan and Syrinx'
Ovid's "Metamorphoses" tell the story of the mythological god Pan who lusts after the nymph Syrinx. Rubens painted the sexual hunt in the 1620s for German Count Wilhelm VIII of Hessen-Kassel. Rubens depicts Pan as he unsuccessfully attempts to grab Syrinx, but only manages to capture a fistful of the reeds, which Syrinx will transform into. The reeds were painted by Jan Brueghel the Elder.
Titian's 'Venus and Adonis'
In this scene out of classical mythology, Titian depicts the nude back of Venus as she attempts to stop Adonis from going hunting with his dogs. Titian focused on strong gender contrasts by depicting a dressed, strongly-built warrior opposing a naked and weak woman. Rubens drew inspiration from Titian's 1555 work, completing his own version around 1614.
'Venus Frigida'
The painting "Venus Frigida" by Rubens (1614, above) depicts yet another kind of Venus. The work refers to an old saying of Roman poet Terence. Bereft of the company of Ceres, goddess of grain, and Bacchus, god of wine, poor Venus is freezing — meaning that without bread and wine she starves to death. Venus wraps her little son Cupid in her veil, appearing weak in her total nakedness.
'The Judgement of Paris'
This painting from 1639 shows yet another Greek mythological scene. The young Prince Paris is faced with a difficult choice: He must decide which of the three goddesses — Athena, Hera or Aphrodite — is the most beautiful one. The messenger god Hermes holds out a golden apple, the prize to be awarded. All await Paris' decision.
'The Hero of Virtue, Mars, Crowned by the Goddess of Victory'
Mars, depicted as a victorious and virtuous Roman general, stands on the personification of strife that he has conquered. As a reward, Nike, the goddess of victory, honors Mars with a laurel wreath. Commissioned by an Antwerp-based marksmen's guild for their banquet hall, Rubens finished this fantastic work around 1615-16.
'The Head of Medusa'
This impressive painting by Rubens was completed around 1617-18. Out of jealousy, Athena gave Medusa her hair made of snakes; she feared the beautiful gorgon as a rival and so turned her into a monster. The goddess was also responsible for Medusa's gruesome death. According to Greek mythology, Athena let her be decapitated by Perseus, the son of Zeus.