Reading the Bible with the Dead

Historical Analysis By Melissa Smith

Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577 in Siegen, Westphalia. Rubens grew up moving from place to place with his mother after his father had died. Most of his life Rubens lived in Antwerp, Belgium. Rubens was raised as a Catholic, and his religion played a large role in his artwork¹. This is why I believe Rubens put so much detail into this piece and made it so beautiful. In this art piece Rubens shows how much his religion meant to him and made sure to get as much into the painting from the biblical text as he could.

    The painting, The Sacrifice of Isaac, was created by Peter Paul Rubens in 1620-1621. During this time there were a lot of wars and fights going on and I believe this is why Rubens created the painting the way he did². I believe Rubens wanted to bring light and colors into a time where there was darkness and death. To prove this, in the art piece you can see how bright it is where the angel is stopping Abraham from killing Isaac. Also, the bright colors of Abraham and Isaacs clothing stands out. Another reason why I believe Rubens chose to interpret this biblical text the way he did is to show the importance of the angel stopping Abraham and to show that Isaac did not have to die. I think it shows that there is another way to solve something than killing.

    Rubens was known for painting “curvaceous female bodies”³. In the painting both the angel and Abraham do not seem to have female looking bodies, but Isaac does. I believe Ruben did this because he wanted to show how vulnerable Isaac was when this all happened. Isaac was helpless in this situation until the angel came and Rubens showed just that. Abraham looks very big and strong; to show his power over his son. The angel also looks big and strong; to show its power over Abraham. I believe Rubens did this to show that yes, Abraham is a lot stronger than Isaac, but the angel has more power over Abraham. Not just physical power, but power in a sense that the angel knows better.

    Overall Rubens art piece, The Sacrifice of Isaac, proves to show that the time and place you live in can influence how you interpret certain things. I also believe that because Rubens was raised Catholic, it influenced all of his art pieces a lot. The Sacrifice of Isaac by Peter Paul Rubens is bright, colorful, and very detailed and it all has to do with the historical context Rubens lived in.


¹Bio.com. Accessed December 22, 2015. http://www.biography.com/people/peter-paul-rubens-9466127#legacy-and-influence.


²"CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF LEADING EVENTS." CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF LEADING EVENTS. Accessed December 22, 2015. http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/timeline.html. 


³"Peter Paul Rubens Biography." Peter Paul Rubens Biography. Accessed December 22, 2015. http://www.peterpaulrubens.org/biography.html. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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