The Elevation of the Cross

This is the Elevation of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens. It's a triptych housed in Antwerp cathedral and I made a special trip on Saturday to see it.

The Elevation of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens

It shows Jesus nailed to the cross, delirious in his agony. Nine muscular men heave and strain in an effort to raise the inexplicable weight of the cross.

I really like it because Rubens uses chiaroscuro to bold effect. The sharp contrast between the darks and lights show off every ripple in the clothing, every contour of the muscles and every rivet in the plate armour. The vibrant colour palette is also evident.

I realised I sometimes try to achieve a similar effect in Photoshop. I duplicate layers, overlay, run highpass filters and increase the saturation.

Bizarrely, in the bottom left hand corner a playful Springer Spaniel looks on. He looks like he wants to help, but is probably just getting in the way and making a royal nuisance of himself.

It made me wonder what Gravel (my parent's Springer Spaniel) would have been getting up to, had he been present at the most important event in human history.

Gravel photobombs the Elevation of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens

Here's a statue of Rubens in Antwerp. Unfortunately a seagull balancing on his bonce has left a dirty protest

Peter Paul Rubens statue in Antwerp

Antwerp (or Anvers if you're French) is perhaps the most beautiful city in Belgium. It has ornate medieval guild houses, a striking cathedral, and narrow streets which open out into impressive squares.

I couldn't help wondering how much more beautiful Antwerp would be had it not been for its unfortunate history. In World War I the Germans laid siege to the capital of Flanders for 11 days before eventually capturing it after bitter fighting. The Germans became occupiers again during World War II before the British 11th Armour Division liberated the town on September 4, 1944. The Wehrmacht retaliated and fired thousands of V2 rockets at the city; Antwerp has the unenviable record of having been hit by more V2s than every other city combined. The Germans tried and failed to knock out its strategic port, instead they flattened half the town.