Der katholische Rubens

Rubens is still praised today for his depiction of human passions, ranging from cruelty to erotic devotion. However, his art was by no means as worldly as we might think. He created a new, vibrant language for a church that was just recovering from the confessional wars of the 16th century. After the bloody battles and iconoclasm, the Catholic faith was no longer to be enforced by violence. Like Bernini, Rubens aimed to persuade the viewer towards the true faith through sensual art. The colorful brilliance of his paintings, their warmth and festivity, as well as their fury and lamentation, were designed to move people both religiously and ethically. Willibald Sauerländer illustrates this clearly through Rubens' altar paintings, whose original purpose and impact he impressively brings to light.