Peter Paul Rubens. Bacchanalia

 (around 1615)

Peter Paul Rubens played a key role in the development of the Flanders School of Art. This highly gifted and educated artist was also a talented diplomat. Returning from Italy after a complex diplomatic mission, and creatively reappraising international art, Rubens created his own style. The Italian tradition is apparent in the painting "Bacchanalia", a masterpiece held in our collection. The artist completed this piece - not to order - but for himself, and never parted with it. Rubens, who was a keen classicist, sought to reflect his vision of an ancient sarcophagus he saw in Rome, in this work. As it happens, that very sarcophagus is also housed in our Museum, in the room featuring original antiquities. The painting has as its core the myth of the god of fertility and wine - Dionysus/Bacchus - and his retinue, the aged Silene, his tutor, and goat-legged satyrs. Dionysus is viewed as the embodiment of Autumn and harvest time. Rubens uses this and presents Dionysus' celebrations as the last feast before the winter slumber. The chubby characters seem to embody the strength of nature, they resemble the ripened autumnal fruits, filled with the juice of life. The colours used give the impression of their bodies' softness and warmth, and their smooth skin. Rubens gives the viewer a keen sense of the living flesh he depicts, rooted firmly in the material world. The composition captures the bubbling energy of life and movement. The figures are positioned in an oval, giving a sense of continuance to their celebrations, reminiscent of the eternal circle of life. This sense of the close bond between man and nature is also present in the pagan legends the artist cherished. He infuses his classical oeuvre with an unusual sense of life and power. This is clearly rooted in Flemish culture, their full-blooded view on life, and it is also influenced by the Baroque style that lends these images their dynamism, and tendency to excessive scale and fleshiness.