Baroque Art: The Three Graces
The Three Graces was one of Peter Paul Rubens's last paintings before he passed away in 1640. The painting was made on a wood canvas with oil paint and was done between 1630-1635. This piece was believed to be made for Rubens's personal collection because it was found along with his other belongings when he died. The painting was later bought by King Philip IV of Spain in 1666, and then The Three graces were hung up in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
One thing I noticed while searching through hundreds of pieces of art from the baroque art period is that most paintings have a dark undertone to them. I don't connect with darker elements, so finding a piece that fit this assignment's requirements took a lot of work. Although challenging, the search was successful because The Three Graces has so many layers and was fun to analyze.
Peter Paul Rubens uses color in his oil painting to help make everything look more realistic and to create a form in his figures. He uses shading so we can make out the curves of the graces and uses lighter colors around where they're standing to show that it is a frequently used area. He also uses light colors on the water fountain to deliver the movement of the water. He also uses lines to make distinctions in the background of the painting. We can clearly see the trees and the deer roaming and grazing. The flowers above the graces have such emphasis because line work and colors used. We can also see the flow of fabric that makes its way through every grace, showing how they are connected. With the colors used on the hair, we can also see the curls and colorful pearls and flowers intertwined with their hair.
References
Co, Art History. “The Three Graces: Peter Paul Rubens.” Art History Co, 25 Oct. 2022, https://arthistory.co/the-three-graces-peter-paul-rubens/.
Editors. “Peter Paul Rubens the Three Graces.” Greek Mythology in Art, https://www.greekmythologyinart.com/the-three-graces-rubens.html.
Editors. “Spain Is Culture.” The Three Graces, Prado Museum, Madrid at Spain Is Culture., http://www.spainisculture.com/en/obras_de_excelencia/museo_nacional_del_prado/las_tres_gracias_p01670.html.
Editors. “The Three Graces - the Collection.” The Collection - Museo Nacional Del Prado, 30 Oct. 2022, https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-three-graces/145eadd9-0b54-4b2d-affe-09af370b6932.
Hello Allyse, I like that you picked this painting by Rubens as I don’t believe I have ever seen it before. I also noticed that Baroque paintings tend to have fairly dark backgrounds that contrast with usually light figures. While The Three Graces has a lighter background it does feature several darker areas that help the pale females stand out in a very lovely way. I like that the women in the painting are displayed in such an intimate and loving manner and that they seem to care deeply for each other. Their various hairstyles, colors, and ornamentations also make each of the women stand out in subtle ways that I appreciate. The only aspect of this painting that I don’t enjoy is the semitransparent cloth that hangs off the women in seemingly random places.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating to see how artists such as Ruben were able to create such detailed pieces for themselves during this time because of their large newfound clientele. What further indicated to me that Ruben created this work for himself is that the woman on the left resembles his second wife, Helena Fourment. With the rise of the middle class during the Baroque period, these people were finally able to afford luxuries such as art. This in turn greatly increased artists' workloads and thus their own income which allowed artists to afford to create pieces such as The Three Graces for their own personal collections.
I find it very interesting how figures such as the three graces from Greek mythology have been depicted in so many ways throughout the years. This Baroque version depicts the women in a very realistic way as opposed to the more idealized versions of other periods. The painting also appears t be capturing a specific moment in time, another trait found in Baroque art. The three graces, the goddesses Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia, have had many works created of them including several operas composed in the nineteen hundreds. Overall, it is incredibly interesting to see how differently these three women are depicted depending on when they were created. It is doubly fascinating to see how despite being created by different artists and emphasizing different traits, both works such as Girl With a Pearl Earring, and The Three Graces are both distinctly Baroque.
Allyse, I was very intrigued by this painting when I was looking through other classmates blog posts and really wanted to learn more about it. You did a great job at analyzing the piece, especially the visual aspects of it. I think this piece is very well done and I quite like looking at it and being able to see the different emotions that come through the characters that are displayed. According to this article, The Three Graces are Aglaia (who represents radiance), Euphrosyne (representing joy), and Thalia (representing flowering) (https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/how-botticellis-three-graces-changed-art-history/#:~:text=The%20symbolism%20of%20the%20Three,ideal%20of%20beauty%20and%20grace.). The article talks about other paintings that include the three graces and also talks about Rubens work in particular. Apparently one of the three graces is believed to be inspired by (or at least share similarities with) his wife.
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