With no diplomatic mission to accomplish, and an open commission, Rubens was free to express his experience of war.
Rubens
When you’re a great narrative painter and a diplomat, one painting might be all that is needed to secure a peace treaty.
At the heart of Deianira’s letter to Hercules was the strange story of his enslavement to Omphale. Here are the paintings.
Looking and sniffing at one of the toughest non-visual theme for paintings. Can any go beyond mere allegory and ev0ke the sensation?
The slaying of a dragon/serpent, and transformation of its teeth into warriors, make for five superb paintings spanning most of the story.
Less than 30 lines of the book are devoted to the abduction of Europa, which has become its best-known and most-often painted story.
No less than 6 different stories, 4 transformations, 5 wonderful paintings, all from less than 150 lines of Latin verse.
Rape, ejection from society, transformation into a bear, then into a constellation: poor Callisto, but some superb narrative paintings.
One of the most dramatic and vivid myths, causing a ‘Great Fire’ which matches the Flood. Superb paintings from Rubens, Poussin, Moreau.
A triple bill of myths, ingeniously interwoven into a story with four different metamorphoses – and some superb paintings.
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