Venus and Adonis
Peter Paul Rubens, probably mid-1630s
About this artwork
Peter Paul Rubens, the preeminent Flemish Baroque master, captures the mythic drama of *Venus and Adonis* this grand oil on canvas from the mid-1630s. Drawing from Ovid's *Metoses*, the painting depicts the goddess Venus desperately clutching her lover Adonis, urging him not to hunt amid looming danger, with the cherubic Cupid asleep nearby and faithful hounds at their feet. Rubens' sensual female nudes and dynamic figures embody the Baroque era's emphasis on movement, emotion, and the exuberant beauty of the human form, reflecting his role as a court painter blending classical mythology with Counter-Reformation vitality. The artwork's monumental scale—nearly 8 by 8 feet, even with later added strips—immerses viewers in its theatrical energy, achieved through Rubens' virtuoso brushwork: swirling drapery, glowing flesh tones, and luminous highlights that mimic natural light. Produced late in his career, it exemplifies his workshop's productivity and enduring fascination with this theme, which he revisited multiple times. Today, this masterpiece graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a 1937 gift that highlights its cultural prestige as a pinnacle of European painting.