Peter Paul Rubens’ The Raising of the Cross

The Raising of the Cross is one of the altarpieces that played an important role in establishing Peter Paul Rubens as a leading painter in Flanders.  The triptych, or three-paneled altarpiece, was painted for the high alter of St. Walpurgis, one of the Antwerp churches.  In 1794 the painting was seized by the French and taken to Paris.  In 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon, the painting was returned to Antwerp and put on display in the church of Our Lady where it can still be viewed.  In the 1980s the painting underwent a renovation which removed a gray film that had covered the painting.  The renovation revived the brilliant colors and contrasts of Rubens’ work.  

Rubens painted the triptych, The Raising of the Cross, also referred to as The Elevation of the Cross, after returning to Flanders from his time in Italy.  During his artistic training in Italy, Rubens spent time studying the work of Michelangelo, Tintoretto, and Caravaggio.  The influence of the Italian styles of Baroque and Renaissance are evident in this piece. 

Unlike many triptychs The Raising of the Cross tells just one story throughout the three panels.  In the center panel the nine muscular executioners seem to strain in an attempt to raise the cross on which Christ’s pale body is hung.    The muscular bodies show evidence of Michelangelo and Tinoretto’s influence on Rubens’ painting.  On the left panel the apostle John and Jesus’ mother, Mary, surrounded by weeping women and children, look on as witnesses.  On the right panel Roman officers watch the drama on horseback while in the background Roman soldiers are crucifying the two thieves.