Biography of Peter Paul Rubens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography of Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example His parents Jan Rubens and Maria Pypelinckx left Antwerp because it was largely Spanish and dominated by the Catholic Church; they were Calvinists. Rubens’ father was nearly killed because of an affair with the princess of Orange, but Maria was able to have her husband released with the acceptance that the family would be exiled to Siegen, Westphalia. It was in Siegen that their last child would be born, who was Peter Paul (Rubens par. 3). Rubens’ education came from the humanists and he was also an art collector in his own right. He was a diplomat as well and was knighted by two kings: Philip IV, the king of Spain and King Charles I, who was at that time the king of England (Rubens par. 2). Rubens studied Latin and classical literature. At the age of 14, Rubens studied art as an apprentice under Tobias Verhaeght and under two artists that lived in the city, Adam van Noort and Otto van Veen (â€Å"Biography† par. 4). One of the ways that Rubens began his art was to copy the art of other artists. He was very interested in woodcuts by â€Å"Hans Holbein the Younger and Marcantonio Raimondis engravings† (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 4). Between 1600 and 1608, Rubens traveled to Italy and he studied the paintings of Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto who would influence his later paintings. He eventually went to Mantua and became part of the court of duke Vincenzo I of Gonzaga. With the duke financing him, he was able to go to Rome and Florence. He studied Greek and Roman Art and began to copy the work of Italian master artists. Eventually Rubens would have several experiences in Italy that would impact his work and he basically fell in love with the language and the people of this area (Rubens â€Å"Biography†). Rubens died May 30, 1640 of gout and left eight children and a wife behind. He was buried in Saint Jacobs church in Antwerp (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 20). The â€Å"Wolf and Fox Hunt† was one of a series