The Arcade of the Emperors 

Editor: This is “The Arcade of the Emperors,” a drawing and engraving by Peter Paul Rubens. The intricate lines really give it a sense of grandeur. It almost feels like a stage set for something dramatic, but I can't quite put my finger on what. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, a stage set indeed! I think you've hit on something there. It's so incredibly Baroque, isn’t it? A celebration, a visual feast! To me, it whispers of temporary architecture, maybe erected for a royal entrance. Rubens was a master of using form to convey power, wasn't he? Notice the perspective… It subtly draws you toward that central obelisk, bathed in light. Do you sense that pull, that gravitational force of the image? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. The obelisk is so prominent. Why do you think he chose to put that in the very centre? Curator: Perhaps to elevate the mundane, give a transient structure a sense of permanence. To root this fleeting spectacle in something ancient and powerful, something 'forever'. It’s all calculated, this drama. What about those tiny figures beneath the archway? Do they suggest anything to you about the intended impact of the Arcade? Editor: They look dwarfed by the scale! I guess the artist is showing how powerful the emperors would look like if they had processed under this arcade! So, not only does the arcade seem like a stage set but its main purpose is to diminish and disempower its viewers. I never saw that! Curator: Precisely! It’s about carefully controlling perception and evoking wonder, and terror too! Power always seeks the spectacular frame. Now, look closely at how he contrasts light and shadow… It gives a certain breath of reality to the fictional piece. It is such a theatrical approach. Editor: Thinking about what we’ve talked about, I think I now understand the cultural context and impact that “The Arcade of the Emperors” had in the Baroque period. Thanks! Curator: And thanks to you! These fleeting glimpses into artistic vision never cease to remind me of why I do what I do.