Peter Paul Rubens - The Life of Achilles

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish baroque painter, son of a prominent Antwerp lawyer, was the most prolific, influential, and brilliant artist of his time. He was also a scholar, an entrepreneur, and a diplomat. He served in this last capacity in 1629, negotiating a peace between Spain and England. He spent several of his early years in Italy, where he learned much of his great art from the Italian Renaissance. In 1608 Rubens settled in his hometown of Antwerp, where, assisted in his vast output by many assistants, he lived a sumptuous life. Great commissions came to him. The Life of Maria Medici (21 canvases, now in the Louvre) stands out, as do the ceilings at Whitehall in London. His style is exuberant, dramatic, and of an incomparable sureness of touch, whether depicting a female nude or a great historic event. 020