‘Best Master of Baroque Art’
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
The ‘wonderful story’ behind his birth
Influence on European history and art history
“I know I made a big mistake. but i’m so scared right now Seeing how things are going, I’m probably going to be put to death. For the sake of our children, please help… .”
1571 Siegen, a city in western Germany. Her wife’s eyelids flutter as she reads a letter from her husband. At that moment, her past marriage flashes through her mind like a kaleidoscope. A rookie lawyer whom I first met in Antwerp (Belgium) 10 years ago. A happy newlywed life with the man who was charming with his passionate eyes and witty speech. Although we quarreled over business and religious issues, we lived well without any major problems by supporting and frying for 10 years. Even the Catholic religion followed her husband and even converted to Protestantism. I also had four children.
That her husband cheated on her? He was also caught having adultery with the wife of the most influential Dutch aristocrat, locked up in a dungeon, and waiting for the day to be executed. How might this happen… . It felt like the world was shattering into pieces. In my heart, I want to say, “You can decide whether you die there or not”, but… . She is in deep trouble.
After thinking for a while, she picks up her pen as if she had made a decision. And she starts writing down her letter on paper. But the recipient of her letters was not her husband. “Dear Duke, I am well aware that my husband has committed a mortal sin once morest you. … (syncopation)… But I forgave my husband. For the sake of me, I beg you to spare my husband Rubens.” Today’s ‘Those People at the Time’ is a story regarding the parents of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), a master of Baroque painting.
The affair partner is the wife of the ‘Dutch Independent Father’
The core of today’s story is two people, Rubens’ mother, Maria Pippelinxand a cheating father Jan Rubensis. this man Since the cheating partner is the wife of a national hero who led the independence of the Netherlands, let’s talk regarding Dutch history.
In fact The history of the ‘country’ called the Netherlands is not long. This area was originally grouped with Belgium and Luxembourg, and was called the ‘lowlands’. It means that there are no mountains and it is a flat area. Thanks to the development of commerce since the Middle Ages, this was a wealthy neighborhood coveted by everyone. these are It was more like a gathering of several independent powers attached to each other than a single country. There was no ‘we are one’ consciousness. Because of this, it was swayed by various powerful peripheral forces such as France (Burgundy, 14C), Austria (Habsburg, 15C), and Spain (Habsburg, 16C).
Still, this area where I got along well because I had a lot of money. He finally wakes up to the ‘cross the line’ exploits of King Felipe II of Spain, a descendant of the Habsburg family. Unlike the previous king, who was from here, Felipe II had never been to the area and had no desire to understand the locals. So he raises taxes without guilt and treats this place as a ‘bread shuttle’ in his home country. Even if they might tolerate extorting money, it was difficult to endure religious oppression. Philip II, a devout Catholic, brutally suppressed and killed Protestants in the region.
worse than In 1566, William, Duke of Oranje, the ‘Father of Dutch Independence’, raised the banner of rebellion. Willem, who was the most prominent nobleman in the Netherlands, was not strong enough to deal with Spain, which reigned as the world’s strongest with the ‘Invincible Armada’. After losing battle following battle, Willem forfeited all his estates and went into exile in Germany. He was once an aristocrat who boasted the highest power in the Netherlands, but his livelihood was at a loss as his income was cut off. “Since living is difficult, I also need to earn some money.” Willem’s wife Anna steps out.
Shameless affair and unexpected forgiveness
At that time, there were a lot of aristocrats who participated in the independence movement near the Netherlands, such as Willem, but fled following their lands and properties were confiscated. It’s fortunate that the body got out safely, but it’s been a long time since I’ve used up the valuables and money I’ve hurriedly packed. The aristocrats, who were in danger of being put on the streets, sued Spain to “return their property” with a feeling of grabbing at straws. One of the lawyers helping with this lawsuit was Jan Rubens. Like Prince Willum, Jan Rubens was a Protestant, and he had a sense of justice fueled by anger at the Spanish oppression.
Anna also commissions a lawsuit to Jan Rubens, who was a well-known lawyer. And the two of them met frequently and had many important discussions, including financial matters. Then my eyes met. The two of them, who continued their ‘wrong meeting’ without hesitation, Finally, Anna is pregnant with Jan Rubens’ child. Only then Willem realizes that something is going wrong. “Get them both!”
Jan Rubens humming in 1571 and going to visit Anna as usual. He is arrested out of the blue and imprisoned in the dungeon of a castle in Germany owned by the Willem family. Anna also gets divorced soon following and she ends up in another prison. Willem has no intention of letting either of them live. In despair, Jan Rubens’s mind came to mind the face of his wife Cho Kang-ji. Jan Rubens shamelessly sent his wife a “terrifying” letter.
And Pepelinks begins a devoted jade barrage. Did you think you needed a husband for the survival and future of your family, including children, did you follow the Catholic faith that forbids divorce, or was you an incredibly mature man? . No one knows the exact reason. She moved to Siegen, a city near her prison where her husband was imprisoned, and Willem and She constantly sends letters to influential nobles begging for her husband’s release. “I also forgave her husband,” he said.
The hearts of the nobles, including Prince Willem, were shaken by the unexpected reaction of Pepelinkx. In fact, she is also one of the biggest victims. The money that Peepelinx distributed from the disposal of the family property also shook the hearts of the nobles quite a bit. Eventually, following two years of hard work, Jan Rubens was released on a large bail. Even following that, Jan Rubens continued to remain under house arrest, and only became free following the death of Anna, who was imprisoned in 1577.
Four lessons from the story
After that, the story runs to the textbook ending.
① The power of forgiveness is great. The year Anna died, Peter Paul Rubens, the master we know, was born. If Pippel Lynx hadn’t saved his husband’s life by begging as much as possible, Rubens’ masterpieces that would remain in the history of human art would not have been born. There would have been no ‘Dog of Flanders’, where Rubens’ work was the main material.
②causal retribution. Good things have good results and bad things have bad results. Jan Rubens, who came back from the dead, became a half-dead man. He was ashamed to face the world, including his wife and children, as his health suffered greatly in prison. Pippelinx supported his family by doing this or that job on behalf of his husband. And in 1587, when Peter Paul Rubens was 10 years old, Jan Rubens passed away at the age of 56.
One of his biggest victims, Willem, found a good match and remarried shortly following his divorce from Anna. Willem, who continued to fight once morest Spain, was assassinated in 1584, but his descendants who inherited his will eventually won independence in 1648. Willem will be respected for generations as the father of independence. Orange is the color of the Netherlands today because it is the color of his family coat of arms. To this day, the King of the Netherlands comes from the Willem family.
③ The best revenge is to eat well and live well. Upon her husband’s death, Pippelinx wrote a beautiful epitaph in Latin. “He was a wonderful husband, father, and capable man.” That’s a huge amount. There was only one passage where the words had bones in them. “I gave birth to 7 children. All only from Jan Rubens.” And following taking the children back to Antwerp, Piepelinx converted his religion back to Catholicism. And he raised his children well alone.
A son strongly influenced by his mother, Rubens went the opposite way. Although his father was a Protestant, Rubens lived as a devout Catholic. He painted paintings that were opposed to the Reformation, for which his father risked his life, and made a fortune by painting paintings that raised the authority of the Catholic monarchs his father hated. As a diplomat, he further strengthened the influence of Catholic countries. His personal life was also the opposite of his father’s. He always loved his wife and was faithful to his family.
Thanks to this, we remember Rubens as the greatest master of Baroque art and Pippelinx as Rubens’ great mother. And Jan Rubens went down in history as a lousy affair man. This is the final lesson. ④ Let’s not ask for forgiveness from the beginning.
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