"The Consequences of War" by Peter Paul Rubens

The Consequences of War by  Peter Paul Rubens

    "The Consequences of War" is a piece created in 1638 by Peter Paul Rubens; the painting depicts the turbulent era of the Thirty Years' War, which raged for about 20 years up to the creation of the piece. This piece depicts the "consequences of war," as suggested by the name, by highlighting the chain effect from direct combat of people with weapons to the families and innocent civilians facing hardship/darkness from the war (The Consequences of War, 1638 by Peter Paul Rubens). The Thirty Years' War lasted roughly 30 years (as the name suggests) from 1618 until 1648. Nearly every state in Europe engaged in the war, though the main culprit was the Habsburg and Bourbon/Habsburg and French rivalries.

    "The Consequences of War" primarily represents the hardship faced at the geographic center of the Thirty Years' War; much of the fighting throughout the duration occurred in Germany, Peter Paul Rubens' home state (The Consequences of War, 1638 by Peter Paul Rubens). The hardships of war included widespread malnutrition, disease, and food/resource scarcity, which influenced Peter Paul Rubens's conceptual connection between the direct conflicts within wars and civilian hardship. This painting features dramatic renditions of figures from all aspects of life - old, young, women, children, men, soldiers, and even angelic/satanic figures. This expresses that the subject matter of war encompasses all aspects of life, including religion, education, and our very existence.

    When I first picked this painting, I thought it was a fascinating piece because the lines clearly pull your eyes from left to right; the left is depicted in brighter colors while the right is darker. The more I look at it, the more interesting it becomes because there's a lot hidden in it - the child in the upper middle part of the painting has small wings representing an angel figure right on the edge of the darkness. Then, if you look all the way to the right at the same height, you can see the satanic figure in the clouds/smoke with red wings. Both aren't obvious details but influence the left-to-right nature of the painting a lot. Also, the women, children, and non-combat figures are painted brightly, whereas the soldiers, those fighting, and those with weapons are all in shadows. I do not think that was a coincidence, given the transitional theme from light to dark and the representation of the darkness of war (as expressed by the name of the painting). The last thing I noticed, which I think could be a powerful symbol, is the very bottom of the painting; the soldier is standing on what appears to be a destroyed book. I would interpret this as the neglect of human achievement and decency in the chaos of war. A second book on the right side of the painting is not destroyed and depicted in light, which also likely symbolizes the transition from light and pure to dark and destroyed. I could also (possibly) see it as a religious reference, given that the angel figure is directly above the destroyed book in the center of the painting.

    Peter Paul Rubens' "The Consequences of War" is an extremely interesting piece because of the unique time it was created. The turbulent wartime art depicts the transition from light and pure to dark and destructive; this perspective accurately reflects Peter Paul Rubens' experience with the war given his geographic positioning (Germany - the center-point of the Thirty Years' War) and his likely exposure to the decay of societal progression and peaceful norms. The painting itself utilizes unique symbolism in the use of multiple similar objects in different lighting to represent their state of decay, including the human and religious figures. I think this is a painting that the more you look, the more you see, and the more of a story Peter Paul Rubens tells.

Work Cited

The Consequences of War, 1638 by Peter Paul Rubens. www.peterpaulrubens.net/consequences-of-war.jsp.