Massacre of the Innocents by Paul Rubens is judged by the experts as the true Rubens. The subject of the artwork is the massacre ordered by King Herod, who wants to prevent the King of the Jews to be a rival. Rubens depicts the massacre of the Innocents of Bethlehem. Rubens work is characteristic of nudes that are chubby and voluptuous when compared to modern standards. He was an ambitious painter of altarpieces and worked on historical subjects.
The art work
The rich and dramatic colors used by Rubens in Massacre of the Innocents show that he is clearly influenced by Italian Baroque masters. His work has always been admired a dramatic staging and rich, vibrant colors, plus his style of expression use for the early saints and martyrs. These unsettling images worked towards strengthening the devotion among the Catholics. Rubens’s sensuous artistic style filled his paintings with a sense of gravitas that was found in the classical sculptures.
The 17th-century painting shows the fierce, contorted figures in gaudy colors and eccentric icons hold the gaze of the viewer. The overwhelmingly garish style of the figures dressed in sexually suggestive costumes can be disturbing to look (Han). The artwork is a good demonstration of the influence of Italian Baroque painters on Rubens, between 1600 and 1608. The rich color, the emotive dynamism and the sheer drama of the scene make an epic of contorted bodies.
Massacre of the Innocents is a great example of how Rubens connected the emotionalism of an ancient statuary. The dramatic compositions and the serpentine figures found in Rubens work became a visual language that communicated devotion. He is successful in expressing ghastly torture and bloody physical punishments in his work. Those scenes with sufferings captivated viewers’ attention and communicated devotion. However, the purpose behind creating the ghastly images of revolting punishments was not to repel the viewer. His artwork was meant to cultivate a sense of religious pride and show devotion to Christ (Chantal).
The history behind Massacre of the Innocents
The genre followed in Massacre of the Innocents is history painting, where one can see a story being told. Herod is well famous in history for killing every male infant in Bethlehem because of his paranoia and in his attempt to kill Jesus. Historians and archeologists have researched on whether this criminal act happened. Herod’s paranoia is evident in Massacre of the Innocents. The story that Herod was afraid that every child born in Bethlehem might become King of the Jews might be invented. However, it is true that Jesus Christ was possibly born during the last years of Herod’s rule. When the historians examine the life of Herod the Great, they find his character and actions agreeable to the many slaughters and ruthless murders that he carried in order to keep his throne secure. Thus, even if his try is silent on the event, it does not mean that it did not happen. Herod the Great had become very paranoid during the last four years of his life, and it is likely that he believed that the prophesies were circulating within his kingdom and wanted to eliminate Jesus. However, the massacre might not have been as large as claimed by the historical records of the church (Franz).
The visual elements
When one looks at the Massacre of the Innocents, the viewer gets caught in a deeper reflection on its meaning. He is absorbed by the violence of the massacre itself and focuses on the different elements in the background and how they correlate to the violence in the forefront. Rubens focuses on every figure in the artwork, the isolated acts of brutality, and thus places one in the very midst of the violence. The artist has made effective use of lines, shadows, varying skin tones to add realism to the violence that becomes both individual and personal, and thus maximizes the emotional effect. The half-naked figures in the artwork done in Flemish Baroque style make the scene even more chaotic and dynamic.
The seething mass of flesh and limp corpses lying scattered are separate, yet linked together by the same story and the same fate. The brightly colored gowns of the women add to the richer tones of the art and seem to be made of rich silks. One shifts their focus to those rich colors for a moment and away from the violence shown. There mutilated bodies of the babies and infants carry a tone of the death and are either very pale or grayish. The women are painted in a slightly fairer skin tone as compared to the men who are big, strong and muscular. The multiplicity of the painting diffuses the tension of the massacre, yet draws attention to the helplessness of the innocents.
The lines used by Rubens are soft and blurred, and there is an interesting display of shadows and lights. The shapes of the architecture and the buildings in the background are mostly in shadows, and there are no sharp lines. The buildings in shadows and the perspective used in the painting give a 3D depth to the artwork, and the space has been used by the artist to get the right depth or perspective.
The design principles
Rubens was known to follow chiaroscuro style in his artwork. One can see the technique of using contrasts and showing the light and dark parts in the work so as to create a dramatic effect. This creates an illusion of depth in the painting. . The sheer quantity of flesh in the painting oppresses one with the claustrophobia as one is forced to look at those mutilated and discolored corpses. One can see the full, florid style of the painter, his dynamism, and movement. The intertwining arms and backs, the grabbing, and falling bodies only heighten the action. One can find a unity in the skin tones and the variety in the different emotions and expressions.
The two main characters that are the focus of the painting are the semi-nude woman in the center, who is trying to protect her baby from the muscular man. Rubens paints the tension of the moment with precision and forcefulness, and it is like one can make out as to what will happen next, to the baby and the woman. The gruesome act of the man with a baby raised above his head point to the next action when he will dash it to the ground. The muscles and the strain in the bodies are well portrayed in the art, with the right shadows and highlights in the skin tone.
It is the methodical violence and the fluidity of movements that draws attention to the right areas of the artwork. The light and dark parts of the painting can create the right balance. Each and every figure has been drawn in real life proportions but unstable postures. Some of the women are struggling while others have given up and seem to be in shock.
Conclusion
The depiction of the unbridled violence in the Massacre of the Innocents seems to suggest that if the evil wants, it has its ways, and there is no escape for the innocent. The women are shown in different stages of distress and anguish. Some of them have their babies already dead while others are trying to protect them and begging for mercy. The sacred painting by Rubens adopt theatrical elements that display the fluid interaction between different styles of art (Chantal).
The depiction of the massacre and the dramatic tragedy seems to evoke a certainty that this is a world where the evil can carry out its planned structures of violence. The painting is awe-inspiring and emotional and takes you back in the history. The work leaves one in awe as well as sad and wondering about those characters and their plight. The mindless violence leaves one wondering of the sense behind and faith in humanity. One can almost hear the shrieks of terror that fill the dark streets of the town.
Works Cited
Chantal Manna. Review of Sauerländer, Willibald, The Catholic Rubens: Saints and Martyrs. H- Catholic, H-Net Reviews., 2014.
Han, Joo. "Anatomy Of Anxieties." Artasiapacific.com. Art Asia Pacific, 2013. Web. <http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/WebExclusives/AnatomyOfAnxieties>.
Franz, Gordon. "The Slaughter of the Innocents: Historical Fact or Legendary Fiction?" Www.biblearchaeology.org. Bible Archaeology, 2009. Web. <http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/12/08/The-Slaughter-of-the-Innocents- Historical-Fact-or-Legendary-Fiction.aspx>.
