Caravaggio and Rubens, Essay Example

A comparison between Caravaggio’s painting of 1604, The Entombment of Christ, and Rubens’s  The Raising of the Cross from 1609-1610 offers a fascinating look at how artists from different cultures interpret common themes within the same era.  Caravaggio’s work in Italy had been, in fact, studied by Rubens, traveling from his native Antwerp (Getlein  389), and it is evident that Rubens, like so many other artists, was deeply influenced by the Italian.  Despite striking differences in artistic approach, the two paintings share composition elements and similar treatments of light (Getlein  389).  Then, and not unexpectedly, each addresses its subject with great gravity and dramatic tone.  It is the form the reverence takes, however, that truly separates the artists, as excess competes with something like a minimalist style.

Interestingly, it is the Flemish Rubens who presents a more classically Renaissance treatment. To begin with, his painting is a triptych, which is reminiscent of the grand scope of the great Renaissance painters (peterpaulrubens.org).  It is panoramic, telling multiple stories at once, and the function is to convey the universal impact of the raising of Christ on the cross.  Shadow dominates, especially on the left, indicating darkness over the world.  Then, this symbolism is reinforced by the musculature of the figures, which suggests struggle at the divine level; even the mortals raising Christ appear as “gods,” and this is as Baroque as the intensity elsewhere, as in the rearing of the horse to the right.  Conversely, Caravaggio’s vision is far more on a human scale.  It is, in fact, a moment frozen in time.  This is a tight cluster of seemingly ordinary people captured in an extraordinary event.  Consequently, both artists exalt the drama of their scenes through either a grandiose tableau or a dramatically understated presentation.

Works Cited

Getlein, Mark.  Living With Art, 9th Ed.  New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.  Print.

Peter Paul Rubens: The Complete Works.  The Raising of the Cross.  2012.  Web.  Retrieved from  http://www.peterpaulrubens.org/Raising-of-the-Cross-1610-large.html