De bekering van Paulus 1587 - 1640

Peter Paul Rubens made this wash drawing, The Conversion of Paul, sometime in the early 17th century. Rubens was a master of the Baroque style, an aesthetic particularly favored by the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation. Here, Rubens depicts the biblical story of Paul, who, according to the New Testament, was blinded by a heavenly light and heard the voice of Jesus, leading to his conversion to Christianity. The drama of the moment is emphasized through the use of dynamic movement. Horses rear up, figures are thrown to the ground, and the sky churns with divine energy. Rubens was working at a time when the Catholic Church was trying to reassert its authority in the face of the Protestant Reformation. Art was considered to be a powerful means of communicating religious ideas and inspiring faith. Rubens, as a devout Catholic, understood the propaganda value of art. To truly understand this artwork, one could consult historical texts, theological treatises, and biographies of Rubens himself. The meaning of this drawing is ultimately shaped by the social and institutional context in which it was created.