The Raising of the Cross is part of a series of paintings based on the crucifixion of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens. This piece was painted between 1609 and 1610 in oil on canvas at full size with the center of the triptych measuring 15'2" by 11'2". It is now displayed in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Belgium (Dunton, 164). Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist who painted in the Baroque style, his paintings were mostly of religious and mythical origin and his skill at this was highly appreciated during his lifetime and since. (www.peterpaulrubens.com) Born on June 28, 1577, Rubens' development as a painter apparently began early. After his father's death and the family's move to Antwerp, he decided he wanted to become a painter and "In 1598, at the age of 21, he was granted the rank of master painter of the Guild of St. Luke of Antwerp" (CSU article Eastbay ). Looking at the entire triptych you can notice some visual elements. Lighting is carefully used to highlight many important details in the painting; the dramatic facial expressions of many people in this scene are clearly lit and defined to illustrate the emotions felt by the witnesses. In the left panel of the Raising of the Cross, among the mourners appear St. John, another man who appears to console St. John, Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist), St. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene (hoocher.com ). One of the mourners is actually looking directly at the viewer with a very distraught expression on his face. The mourner who I suspect is St. John in the back looks almost nauseated and his face is surrounded by darkness and is subordinated and his face is emphasized. Furthermore, the rocky background is subordinate... to the center of the card... it is parallel to the implied line shown by the stick in the soldier's hand. The Raising of the Cross is an extraordinary work of art and the depth of meaning contained in it is, probably, beyond my comprehension. There seems to be a lot of symbolism in this painting and I definitely overlooked some. The style of this painting is clearly inspired by the Baroque masters of Rubens' time and Ruben took the style to a new level that the world had never seen at that time. The other pieces from Ruben's series of paintings based on the crucifixion of Christ help to bring clarity to this painting and give hints to the figures in the paintings. Works Cited Dunton, Larkin (1896). The world and its people. Silver, Burdett. P. 164.http://www.mcs.csueastbay.edu/~malek/Rubens.htmlhttp://www.peterpaulrubens.org/biography.htmlhttp://hoocher.com/Peter_Paul_Rubens/Peter_Paul_Rubens.htm