Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches by Peter Paul Rubens Book

Oil sketches by Peter Paul Rubensâ??created at speed and in the heat of invention with a colorful loaded brushâ??convey all the spontaneity of the great Flemish painterâ??s creative process. This ravishing book draws from both private and public collections to present in full color 40 of Rubensâ??s oil sketches. Viewers will find in these informal paintings an enchanting intimacy and gain a new appreciation of Rubensâ??s capacity for invention and improvisation, and of his special genius for dramatic design and coloristic brilliance.The book investigates the role of the oil sketch in Rubensâ??s work; the development of the artistâ??s themes and narratives in his multiple sketches; and the history of the appreciation of his oil sketches. It also explores some of the unique aspects of his techniques and materials. By revealing the oil sketches as the most direct record of Rubensâ??s creative process, the book presents him as the greatest and most fluent practitioner of this vibrant and vital medium.Peter C. Sutton is executive director of the Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut. Marjorie E. Wieseman is curator of European painting and sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Sutton and Wieseman previously collaborated on The Age of Rubens exhibition held in museums in Boston and Toledo, Ohio. Nico van Hout is a conservator at the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp.This book is the catalogue of the exhibition that appears at the Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, from October 2, 2004, to January 30, 2005, then travels to the Berkeley Art Museum from March 2 to May 15, 2005, and to the Cincinnati Art Museum from June 14 to September 11, 2005. The exhibition at the Bruce Museum coincides with the Metropolitan Museumâ??s exhibition of Rubensâ??s Drawings (p. 35A), and a number of joint events have been arranged.Read More