The Artwork "Consequences of War" by Peter Paul Rubens
The artwork "Consequences of War" by Peter Paul Rubens is superb. The painting was a reaction to Europe's thirty-year conflict. The destruction caused by the war is depicted in Peter Rubens' artwork. In a similar vein, Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch produced a significant body of work that explored the effects of war. The Last Judgment is among his most well-known works of art. There isn't a lot of information available about Bosch, yet his work from the 15th century is still relevant today and has a lot to say. This paper is obligated to compare and contrast the work of these two artists and analyze the stylistic and cultural significance of the works.
The Oil on Canvas Painting: Consequences of War
The oil on canvas painting, Consequences of War, was produced by Peter Paul Rubens in 1638. The art is not only an admirable painting, but it also depicts strong messages about the effects of war. The artist used symbols, both modern day and ancient to show how war, which sparked in all parts of Europe, caused suffering. Ruben's style incorporates elements of Italian Renaissance and the Baroque artists to come up with his artistic approach known as pan-European (Rubens and Christopher, n.d). He is focusing on the soldiers fighting innocent people; the picture of young children and frightened women shows these actions. The middle of the painting has the most outstanding image. A naked lady, Venus (the Roman goddess of love) touches a soldier, Mars (the Roman god of war) whose sword is full of blood in an attempt to prevent him from spilling more blood. The significance of this image is that it portrays the goddess of love seeking for peace. It symbolizes how innocent people in the society are hungry for peace within the community. However, Aletko is shown pulling Mars to do more destruction. This indicates that society has few individuals who are ever fueling trouble and have no respect towards humanity. The dominant colors were browns and greens as opposed to the flesh-white bodies of Venus and the children. The bloody garments of Mars also give a clear picture of the meaning of the painting (Consequences of War by Rubens, n.d).
Symbolism in Art
The art symbolizes a lot of destructions that occurred during the war. A book in the art symbolizes literature; music is typified by a lute, and architecture symbolized by a compass. The destruction of literature is shown by Mars stamping his foot on the book. The significance of these symbols is that they portray the diversity a society; the music, literature, love in the shape of Venus, and architecture. These elements are essential for the well-being of every individual in the community and any destruction on them should be strongly avoided to protect the diversity of the culture as indicated by Venus trying to pull away Mars (Consequences of War by Rubens, n.d).
Hieronymus Bosch and His Work
Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch who practiced painting and drawing. He is mostly considered one of the most notable representatives of Early Netherlands art school. His work is known for its imagery of detailed landscapes, and images of religious concepts and daily life issues. His work was collected in the Netherlands, Spain, and Austria. This research focuses on the final judgment art which is similar with the consequences of war by Peter Paul Reuben (The Last Judgement, n.d).
The Last Judgment, Also Known as the Garden of Earthly Delight
The Last Judgment is the most popular work done by Hieronymus Bosch in 1504; it is also known as the Garden of Earthly Delight. The art is famous for its conspicuous imagery used to demonstrate moral concepts. The art has an unusual landscape and weird creatures, religious icons such as God, Adam, Eve, and hell also exist. The theme of this painting was meant to remind people that hell existed and everyone will carry their own cross at the time of punishment. The center of the picture displays the seven deadly sins. At the top is God, on the left, there is the creation of Eve and animals and the plunging of the Rebel Angels, and on the right shows hell (Strickland, n.d).
Imagery and Symbolism in Bosch's Art
The nightmare suggests the earth as one destroyed by flames. In the painting, a large number of people have been enveloped in the stormy landscape. Bosch used surrealism, an artistic style that is not easily understood. The significance of Bosch art is that it acts as a reminder to people of what awaits them. Everybody will have their own place in heaven depending on how they coexist with others in the community. The landscape is rugged, the huge birds and nude humans are in fascinating scenery, and others are in miserable places living without interaction.
Bosch's Techniques and Materials
Bosch used designs of stained glass. His works were discovered that to have contained oak wood as a tablet and olive oil as the lubricant of ink. Materials for coloring were scarce, and he thus used the natural colors present at ancient times (Koldeweij et. al, 200). He used Azurite mineral for painting blue color and landscapes; he further used plant pigments to obtain green color for painting plants and natural landmarks and landscapes.
The Historical Context
The Consequences of War was painted after the thirty-year war in Europe between 1638 and 1639. The period shows the advancement of the rivalry between the Protestants and the Catholics, furthermore political torture and revolution increased the span of the war. This war sprung up almost at equal times in the all entire communities of the European continent.
The Development of Bosch's Artistic Style
Hieronymus Bosch's early work involved the use of simple materials whose composition was brushwork somewhat boundless in scope. Improvement of the technology of ancient time lead to improvement of his artistic work during his middle period which provided a clear view of his intentions in the art. However, most of his work was of the social politics and the sinful earth; this gave a clear clue that nothing is new on this earth as per the recent researches (Koldeweij et. al, 205).
In Conclusion
In conclusion, art is the mirror of what is happening in the society. For instance, the art of consequences of war by Paul Rueben brings out how the political, religious, and social conflicts may lead to dangerous wars. Even though Bosch's reflects the social, political, and cultural view of the society by portraying what people are doing socially. Paul Rueben shows a true abuse of political power. Both artists are great painters whose paintings show great features in our societies, with the two chosen artist as examples our current culture appreciates arts because it exposes the mayhems and the social virtues that are demonic or go against culture. On the other hand, it shows a good part of the society.
The two artists were trying to bring out what a society should look like, with Ruben showing the aspects that should be protected from destruction and the effects of the damage. Bosch, on the other hand, demonstrates how meaningful coexistence in necessary in the community. The terrain might be rugged, but people should leave together and interact. Both artists also portray the aspect of peace.
Works Cited
Rubens, Peter Paul, and Christopher White. Peter Paul Rubens: Man & Artist. Yale University Press, 1987.
“The Last Judgement.” The Last Judgement by Hieronymus Bosch. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2017.
“Consequences of War by Rubens – Facts & History of the Painting.” Totally History Consequences of War Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2017.
Koldeweij, Adrianus Maria, Bernard Vermet, and B. van Kooij. Hieronymus Bosch. New insights into his life and work. Rotterdam/Gent-Amsterdam: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, 2001.
Strickland, Debra. The Epiphany of Hieronymus Bosch: imagining Antichrist and others from the Middle Ages to the Reformation. Vol. 77. Brepols, 2016.
