Although his popularity is eclipsed by Rembrandt today, Peter Paul Rubens was revered by his contemporaries as the greatest painter of his era, if not of all history. His undeniable artistic genius, bolstered by a modest disposition and a reputation as a man of tact and discretion, made him a favorite among monarchs and political leaders across Europe—and gave him the perfect cover for the clandestine activities that shaped the landscape of seventeenth-century politics. In Master of Shadows, Mark Lamster brilliantly recreates the culture, religious conflicts, and political intrigues of Rubens’s time, following the painter from Antwerp to London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome and providing an insightful exploration of Rubens’s art as well as the private passions that influenced it.

The art of Rubens is rooted in an era darkened by the long shadow of devastating wars between Protestants and Catholics. In the wake of this profound schism, the Catholic Church decided to cease using force to propagate the faith. Like Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) sought to persuade his spectators to return to the true faith through the beauty of his art. While Rubens is praised for the “baroque passion” in his depictions of cruelty and sensuous abandon, nowhere did he kindle such emotional fire as in his religious subjects. Their color, warmth, and majesty—but also their turmoil and lamentation—were calculated to arouse devout and ethical emotions. This fresh consideration of the images of saints and martyrs Rubens created for the churches of Flanders and the Holy Roman Empire offers a masterly demonstration of Rubens’s achievements, liberating their message from the secular misunderstandings of the postreligious age and showing them in their intended light.

There’s nothing more important to the future of your artwork than to educate and nurture the unique talent you were born to share with the world. The Canon of Design represents artistic integrity, and enables you to leave your mark on this earth as one of the most talented visual communicators ever known. Learn the language of design to stand with the great masters and reflect the beauty prominently found in nature. This field manual is written to you, for you, and will help shorten your journey to achieving artistic excellence!

This text presents both an overview of the print production in 17th-century southern Low Countries and a focused approach to the work of three collaborators of Rubens - Abraham Van Diepenbeeck, Erasmus Quellinus II, and Cornelis Schut.

Over the past four years the Royal Fine Arts Museums of Belgium have undertaken a huge research

When he graduated to Formula 1 in 1993 Rubens Barrichello looked a potential star. By 1996 - still grieving the death of his mentor Ayrton Senna - Rubens seemed a "might have been", struggling with an uncompetitive Jordan. However in 1999, driving for Jackie Stewart, he proved a mature performer and Ferrari beckoned. The Brazilian is a rare mix - tough enough to be Michael Schumacher's fastest-ever team-mate yet so gentle off-track that he is the most popular driver in the paddock. This is his rollercoaster story.

An investigation of the complex image-text relationships between frontispieces and illustrated title pages with the following texts in European books published between 1500 and 1800.