The Raising of the Cross, painted before 1609-10 (oil on canvas) Antwerp Cathedral, Belgium
In this larger than life-size tryptich, Rubens displays all the trademarks of Baroque art at the service of Roman Catholicsism and the Counter Reformation. The sensually painted muscular bodies raising the crucified Christ are twisted and full of energy. The paint is rich in colour, describing luxurious fabrics and shining armour. The hightened sense of drama and portent is echoed by the solar eclipse about to take place in the right-hand panel - a heady mix of suffering, pleasure and other worldliness. From the suckling peasant baby and the snorting horse on the outer panels, the the eye is drawn in to the high centre of the alterpiece, to the upturned face of Christ and towards a higher state of emotion and religious fervour.
© Peter Willi/Louvre, Paris, France/Bridgeman Art Library