El Greco’s uniquely painterly brushstrokes, the oil sketches and studies of Rubens, and Rembrandt, the first major artist to intentionally leave brushstrokes in prominent passages.
Rubens
The son of Thetis, he was dipped in the water of the River Styx to make him invulnerable, apart from his left heel. He went missing from the thousand ships, when he went into hiding, but was recovered by Ulysses.
Collaborated with Jan Brueghel the Elder in early paintings, created his own landscapes from 1625, and a wonderful series of landscapes during his retirement in 1635-1640.
After feasting with Achelous, he got involved in the battle between Lapiths and centaurs. then struck disaster with incest, suicide and violent death, before abducting Helen, and being thrown from a cliff.
Humans have lived with trees since our origins, and trees feature in many paintings. This explains the importance of sketching them from life, and shows examples of different species and contrasting artists from Rubens and van Ruisdael to van Gogh and Cézanne.
A painting commissioned by the Grand Duke of Tuscany towards the end of the 30 Years’ War in Europe, details with its figures the suffering resulting from war, rather than the triumph of victory.
A painting for England’s King Charles I to encourage him to make peace with Spain, left by Rubens in 1630. Its figures make clear the meaning of war, as explained here.
Perseus kills the sea monster, and marries Andromeda as his reward. Phineus and his friends turn nasty at their wedding, and are turned to stone, and how the couple became constellations.
The talaria fashioned from gold by Vulcan for Hermes as messenger of the gods, and lent to Perseus when he was sent to bring back the head of Medusa/
When the centaur Nessus tries to abduct his wife, Hercules shoots him with a poisoned arrow. But Nessus gets his revenge when Hercules’ wife gives her husband a shirt impregnated with Nessus’ blood.
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