N. N. N. 23-ART SCREAMS AND CULTURAL ITINERARY-THE RAINBOW and the artistic symbology in the idealism of Pieter Paul RUBENS.

N. N. N. 23-ART SCREAMS AND CULTURAL ITINERARY-THE RAINBOW and the artistic symbology in the idealism of Pieter Paul RUBENS.
And we come to the meaning of rainbow in painting and for man. It represents the superior manifestation of the end of the storm, of a disaster, of rain and induces amazement, serenity and hope in the future.

To artistically mention the theme I chose a great Flemish painter, Pieter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577-Antwerp, 1640) to represent the ′′ more anthropological ′′ meaning of a symbol, the rainbow, which better than others also identifies it in his virtuous lifestyle representatively iconic.

Rubens was a great painter, for some scholars the greatest of his time. He was a cultured artist, he knew many languages including Latin and was in love with the ancient civilization that he had been able to deepen in the years of his stay in Rome.
A curious thing, for that historical period where the quarrels between painters and sculptors were to be the daily bread, the goodness of character of Rubens who was a great diplomat as his travels witness, and a champion of peace between peoples, considered by him like the sign of victory of reason over violence and brutality of wars.

The works of the Flemish artist are characterized by great strength and energy that captures the viewer, involving him in the scenes represented. But one aspect of Ruben s' painting still remains dark today: idealism.

The idealism of Ruben s' art comes from the philosophy of the world of Plato's ideas, in the Renaissance and at the time the Flemish painter lived. According to this conception, instead of representing the real plan, the artist represents the ideal one. This is the case of the Portrait of daughter Clara Serena Rubens, in which the love of her father manifests in the beauty of the child depicted. Instead of what really exists, we see a sublimated image.

Even in the landscapes of Rubens you can grasp this aspect of his painting. The landscapes painted by the artist are the representation of a panteist idea that considers nature as life energy and creator. In landscape paintings - such as Landscape with rainbow - the call to a bucolic tradition of the literary culture of antiquity is also evident, expressed also by painters such as Titian and Giorgione, important references of the Flemish master.

Massimo Ruggero
Club President for UNESCO in Genoa
President of International Action Art Italia

Massimo Ruggero