Nicolas Rubens, the Artist's Son
c. 1635
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
73.7 × 59.1 cm (29 × 23 1/4 in.); Framed: 161 × 69.9 cm (63 3/8 × 27 1/2 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80553
Art Historical Context
In the grand tradition of Baroque portraiture, Peter Paul captures the tender likeness of his young son, Nicolas Rubens, this intimate oil-on-panel painting from around 1635. Rubens, the preeminent Flemish artist of his era (1577–1640), was not only a master of dynamic history paintings and religious altarpieces but also a devoted family man. By this late stage in his career, after diplomatic triumphs and royal commissions, he turned his brush to personal subjects, infusing them with the same vitality and warmth that defined his style. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Pai...
About the Artist
Peter Paul Rubens · 1577–1640
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...