ABSTRACT
The greatest genius of Flemish Baroque, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), was a man of prodigious energy and commitment to life. This is manifest even in the late Self-Portrait sketch of around 1635 (6.1). At nearly sixty, Rubens is in full command of his art. His voluminous form, accentuated by the billowing diagonals of his drapery, seems almost too large for the picture space. He gazes sharply at the viewer from under a wide-brimmed hat, the slight downward curve of his lips injecting a sober note into the artist's flare for courtly bravado. In the more "finished" painted version (6.2), Rubens stands by a column, one hand gloved and the other resting on the hilt of a sword. The quickly sketched hatching lines of his costume have become nearly solid black, and his hat is now a strong black silhouetted against a dark brown, slightly textured wall. His head, framed by the white collar, and the softly wrinkled flesh reflect his age and his intelligence. At the same time, however, the illumination of the face records Rubens' continuing zest for life. The sword, animated by light highlights, together with the sense that his hand plays over its surface, reflects the inherent vitality of Rubens the artist, whose legacy includes some eighteen hundred paintings, the man who was devoted to his family, and the diplomat actively engaged in the politics of his time.
