The consequences of War by Pierre Paul Rubens

This grandiose allegorical composition embodies the dramatic genius and political commitment of European Baroque art, brilliantly magnified by the artist Rubens Pierre Paul. In this monumental and tumultuous work entitled “The consequences of War”, the painter delivers a vibrant denunciation of the ravages of war on civilization. This exceptional masterpiece symbolises the painful and vain struggle between harmonious love and the destructive fury of human conflicts.:::::At the center of the scene, the god Mars, wearing dark armor and brandishing a shield, rushes forward to the right with fury, his sword drawn. Venus, entirely naked and of a dazzling whiteness, desperately tries to hold him back in a sensual embrace, helped by charming winged putti clinging to her legs. On the left, the allegory of Europe in a black mourning gown raises her arms to the sky in front of the open doors of the temple of Janus. On the right, the fury Alecto brandishing a lit torch drags the god, while under their feet, the allegories of arts and sciences are savagely trampled among torn books and broken musical instruments.:::::This work bears witness to the extraordinary mastery of oil painting by the Flemish master, who breathes vitality and perpetual motion into this complex composition. His virtuoso rendering of enlocked bodies, flying drapery and storm sky expresses an unmatched dynamism. The dramatic power of color characterises his Baroque genius.