Saint Augustine 

Peter Paul Rubens painted Saint Augustine, sometime in the 17th century, with oils. Here, we see Augustine, a Christian theologian whose writings influenced the development of Western philosophy. Rubens places him on the shore with a child, said to be Jesus, who is attempting to empty the sea into a small hole. The encounter emphasizes the limits of human understanding when facing the divine. Painted in Flanders, Augustine's symbolic encounter reflects the concerns of the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation. The cultural landscape of the time was shaped by religious reform movements. Artists like Rubens, therefore, played a key role in visualizing theological concepts in service to the Catholic Church. To fully understand this painting, we might explore primary theological texts from the period and records from the artist’s workshop. These and other resources would give us insight into the complex relationship between artistic production, religious belief, and institutional power.