Artist: Frans Francken The Younger

Frans Francken the Younger was a Flemish-born in the 16th century, during the Baroque era after the Protestant Reformation, in the year of 1581 in Antwerp, Belgium. Ironically, he died in his hometown on May 6, 1642. He happened to be a very popular and well-liked artist during his lifetime. Somer sources claim that he may have been an apprentice to his father in the studio and studied art in Paris with his uncle, both of whom were very successful in art themselves. He later became very well known for his historical, mythological, and allegorical themed artwork. Art historians have enough evidence to believe that he may have been greatly influenced by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens. Francken was a fan of painting smaller figures …show more content…
The painting depicts the three realms of man, being Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Different figure are made and they each hold a different story to add to the painting and the separation will become visible after analyzing the painting. The first real that will be exploring is Heaven, as the painting was meant to be read from top to bottom. In the Heavenly realm depicted by Francken, it is not much different from the previous artist, not at first glance anyway. There is a lot of light and the figures there seem to be having a great time, while no one seems to be crowded and uncomfortable. Although this adds to the overall meaning as a whole, there is not a whole lot more going on in this realm. Moving on, the audience is greeted with the Earth realm, where we are greeted with many figures, something that Franken was known …show more content…
Because Venus is the goddess of love, and Cupid is symbolism for falling in love, Francken puts the two figures beside one another. They are seated beside two more figures that pair well; these figures are Bacchus and Ceres. Bacchus is the Roman god of wine, while Ceres is the god of agriculture. Already the pattern has become a little more visible, but there are still plenty to reveal. Looking a little to the left from the center, the audience is greeted by Hercules. Known for great strength and might, he is known as the god of war. Also being how idealized his figure is, how confidently he stands, and how others surround him, his figure may also be seen as a hero; almost as if he had just done something heroic. Moving two characters to the left of Hercules, we as the audience see Juno, the queen of gods. Behind her looks to be a group of loyal followers who humble themselves to what she has to say or show them. The centermost figure on the Earth realm is supposed to represent Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage and strategic warfare. When analyzing the two sides, it becomes noticeable that every figure on the right side is supposed to represent a calm and comfortable life, while those on the left are more heroic and action-ready, to say the