Joe Duvic

Prof. Jurus

Art 1110

8 December 2019

The Raising of the Cross- Critique Paper

The Raising of the Cross, also known as Elevation of the Cross, was a piece done by

Peter Paul Rubens in 1610. The Raising of the Cross is a baroque style painting that Peter Paul

Rubens is known for. This piece has a medium of oil paint of canvas and is triptych, which

means it is split in three panels that can fold inwards (Khan Academy). This style of painting

also includes images on the back of the folding panels so when closed another painting is

portrayed.

Peter Paul Rubens was born on June 28, 1577, in Siegen, Westphalia. In this time period,

there was unrest between the Catholic and the Protestant church. Because of the area Rubens

lived and the turmoil between churches his family was persecuted growing up. Later in Rubens’

life, his father died, so his mother moved to Antwerp where, “he studied under two of the city's

leading painters of the time, the late mannerists Adam van Noort and Otto van Veen.”(Complete

Works). From 1600 to 1608 Rubens went to Italy to study and his works were greatly influenced

by the classic Greek and Roman styles (Complete Works).

The Rising of the Cross is an extremely complex and detailed painting. Since the painting

is a triptych it is separated into three sections, but when these sections tell one story. In the

middle section, Jesus Christ is being raised on the cross by a group of people. In the foreground,
there are two extremely muscular men pulling on the cross to get it raised. The style in which

these men were painted are influenced by the Greek style. These men are so muscular they,

“Look like circus strongmen.” (Khan Academy). It is believed Rubens did this to emphasize,

“...the brutality of these figures, that all they are is brute physical force.” (Khan Academy). With

how dense the middle portion of this piece is it shows how important the situation was.

While the rising of the cross is being portrayed in the middle, Marry and John are shown

on the left. They are obviously grieving for the loss of Jesus, but they are not crying as an early

Renaissance piece might show. This was done to show, “that the mother of God should be

represented as a powerful figure.” (Khan Academy). Along with Mary and John, there is also a

group of women grieving. This shows that the crucifixion was not a small even and affected

more than Jesus’ family and close friends. The line of heads created by the group of women

Mary and John from the women, not only with their emotions but also with their position

(Pritchard). This side of the image is very dark showing the mood of all the spectators.

On the right side of this piece, it shows the two thieves, Gestas and Dismus, being

prepared for their crucifixion. A group of Roman soldiers control the thieves, pushing one while

the other is being nailed to a cross. “The diagonal Rubens created here runs the opposite

direction as that in the left panel... These opposing diagonals further create tension across the

composition, heightening the viewer’s sense of drama and chaotic action.” (Pritchard). A

continuation of the depiction of brutality is shown on the right panel of the painting with the very

harsh textures of the roman soldiers.

On the back of the panels of this triptych there are four saints. These saints do not have

much impact on the painting as they were added because the painting was being put in the
church of Saint Walpurgis in Antwerp. There are also angels flying towards the top of the piece

for decoration (Khan Academy).

The line, light, and texture are three important visual elements of The Raising of the

Cross. The line used in this piece comes from the cross in the middle, the line of women on the

left, and the roman soldiers’ horse on the right. These lines lead your eye and separate certain

parts of the painting. For example, the line created by the grieving women and the line created by

the horse of the roman soldier gives the look that these sides are against each other (Pritchard).

The line created by the cross leads your eye from the bottom right of the middle section to the

top left up to Jesus’ face. The light in this piece gives a different mood to different parts of the

painting. For example, the left side of the painting is extremely dark which gives a sad mood

while the middle section has a lot of contrast and shadows which gives a dramatic mood. The

texture also plays a large role in this piece. The texture of the romans, who are portrayed as

antagonists, is very rough giving them a brute look. The people who are grieving the death of

Christ are given the opposite texture. Mary, John, and the grieving women all have soft, flowing

textures which makes them look softer and innocent.

In conclusion, The Raising of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens is a very important piece of

work in the church and depicts the crucifixion of Jesus. I like this piece because of the religious

context behind it and how it depicts the crucifixion. My favorite part of the painting is how the

line creates tension between the romans and Jesus’ followers. Line, light, and texture are three

important visual elements of this piece and give the painting a dramatic and sad mood.
 Works cited

“Biography of Rubens.” Rubens-The Complete Works- Biography, 2002,

http://www.peterpaulrubens.org/biography.html.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/baroque-art1/flanders-

1/v/rubens-elevation

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/baroque-art1/flanders-

1/a/rubens-elevation-of-the-cross

https://www.artbible.info/art/large/519.html