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Peter Paul Rubens Massacre Of The Innocents

Decent Essays

Religious imagery has been a staple in artistic culture throughout history. It has been used to communicate ideals and concepts to communities while encouraging the worship of a holy being. Often, it also represents certain important qualities of the artist responsible for the making. In terms of Catholicism, biblical scenes have been painted, sculpted, and repeatedly represented artistically in order to provide a strictly visual representation of what many believe is God’s word. The content that is displayed in these works is often graphic in order to convey the intensity and importance of what is being shown. It is important that viewers see and understand the brutality of certain sacred events so as to educate themselves and to prevent themselves from committing or supporting any correlated evils. …show more content…

A particularly vivid scene is displayed in Peter Paul Rubens’ first portrayal of the slaughter of many innocent civilians of Bethlehem. The Context of Peter Paul Reuben’s Massacre of the Innocents serves as an expression the artist’s identity through the historical content that he has chosen to paint, through the obvious influences of the techniques used in the creation, and the artist’s intention when creating the piece. Each of these components speaks to who Rubens’ is as an artist and as a person. An artist’s work is an acceptable expression of their identity because each piece is a reflection their beliefs, a reflection of their influences and who they look up to, and also a reflection of their own

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