Have You Seen This Man?

He seems to be everywhere.

Peter Paul Rubens
Self Portrait
c. 1630, oil on canvas
64.2 x 48 cm
Rubenshuis, Antwerp

But now I have already gotten ahead of myself.

A couple days ago we left the lovely monastery which was our home in Ghent and headed for Antwerp. It was wet most of the day, so our departure was bittersweet, a mixture of teardrops and rain as we left this most beautiful little city. A summer return to Ghent is now on the bucket list.

Antwerp is another new city for us and, despite the rain, it's looking good so far. We are situated in a third story apartment in the oldest part of the city, shops and restaurants are just steps away, and from our lofty view we see the stained glass windows and romanesque arches of Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp just across the way. According to the cathedral's website, this church was originally constructed in 1124 as a small parish. Over a thousand years later it has evolved into the massive Gothic cathedral that it is today. A variety of bells toll from the tower ... well, like clockwork.

Antwerp is not Rubens' birthplace but his family came here when he was a young child. Later in 1610, when he was a well known artist, he bought a house in the city with his first wife Isabella Brant. He lived in it until he died in 1640.

Jacques van Croes
View of Rubens' house in Antwerp, 1684
11 x 14 inches
British Museum

Over that thirty year period, Rubens enlarged the house, added a statue gallery to host his growing art collection, and built a garden pavilion in the Italian tradition. It was a stately city house with an amazing collection -- even by 17th century standards -- of portraits, statues, jewelry and landscapes.

After Rubens died, his famous art collection was sold off and now only portions of the old house remain. But the city of Antwerp has resurrected the famous painter's house into a fine museum called Rubenshuis, complete with a few of the original works which Rubens owned.

photo courtesy of the Rubenshuis

Indeed the entire city is celebrating their favorite artist with a city-wide commemoration called Antwerp Baroque 2018: Rubens Inspires. Thus there are banners and images of the master plastered all over the city. Some of the events include a multi-day musical festival called Game of Tones, a three day research festival about the role of the Baroque in 2018, and a human sculpture of 1000 residents from the city of Antwerp.

Clearly Rubens is their pride and his image looms large across the city. Take for example this bronze statue in Groenplaats, a town center just around the corner from our airbnb.

photo courtesy of Mikestravelguide