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His consequent success won him the position of court painter to the rulers of Spanish Netherlands, and became an international celebrity.
Rubens progressed from a Caravaggio-inspired use of strong darks and lights to a Venetian coloristic style of more broadly painted, blurring brushwork. He encountered 16th-century Venetian paintings belonging to Spanish collectors during a trip to Spain in 1628. His knowledge of ancient art and literature informed his learned, though sometimes humorous recreations of classical mythology and history.
Rubens made vigorous oil sketches when inventing his compositions. This was also the approach favored by his one-time pupil Anthony van Dyck, who went on to make his master's style still more popular and successful. |
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