Art Pick of the Week: The Raising of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens

It’s all about the drama when it comes to the work of Flemish master painter, Peter Paul Rubens, and this week’s Art Pick is one of his most dramatic. The Raising of the Cross, painted around 1638, is part of the AGO Collection and is currently on view in our current major exhibition, Early Rubens.

This oil sketch on paper, which was later mounted on canvas, is one of Rubens’s most compelling works. The original monumental, winged altarpiece, known as The Elevation of the Cross, was among his first public commissions in 1610 Antwerp (present-day Belgium). The grand altarpiece that this work was based on ultimately fuelled demand for other compositions of this nature. Not only is the work rich with detailed brushwork, but also with history, giving it even more allure. 

This composition captures a critical moment in the history of Catholicism and a moment of maximum tension and effort as the cross was raised for the crucifixion of Christ. During the time of Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church used captivating, emotional subject matter such as this to reinforce its foundations, reminding its devotees of the Church’s importance. Rubens’s use of dynamism in this work really draws the viewer in, making them feel as if they were part of the scene.

The original 1610 commission for The Raising of the Cross was financed by Rubens’s patron, Cornelis van der Geest. Two decades later, Rubens made this sketch so a print could be made and dedicated to van der Geest. This sketch served as the model for the Flemish artist Hans Witdoeck in creating a three-sheet engraving for the print, which was published that same year. Witdoeck’s engraving is on view alongside Rubens’s version in the exhibition.

Want to learn more? Listen as Dr. Sasha Suda, Early Rubens curator and Director and CEO at the National Gallery of Canada, discusses both works and the process of making prints in greater detail.

See how former AGO Conservator, Historical Paintings, Sandra Webster-Cooke restored the work in the Michael and Sonja Koerner Conservation Centre ahead of its installation in Early Rubens.

See The Raising of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens (and Hans Witdoeck’s version) on view on Level 2 in the Sam & Ayala Zacks Pavilion as part of Early Rubens.

Stay tuned for next week’s Art Pick. 

Admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under. For more information, please visit the website.