Rubens exhibition in Brussels

Hippopotamus Hunt from Peter Paul Rubens

The old Flemish master Pieter Paul Rubens is getting a fresh new gloss in a major exhibition in Brussels. The 'Art of Genius' exhibition treats visitors to a discovery tour of Rubens' most creative period when he was working in his Antwerp studio in the 1620s and 30s. There's plenty to feast the eyes on, with Rubenesque beauties shimmering alongside intimate sketches of his children, many of them newly-restored. But even if you're not a big fan of Baroque art, this lavish show proves there's lot more to Rubens than meets the eye. Radio Netherlands reporter Vanessa Mock strolled along some of the paintings with exhibition curator Sabine van Sprang.

“It’s so spontaneous. It’s absolutely amazing. Here you can really see the hand of Rubens running over the panel. It’s so wonderful.”

Sabine van Sprang you’re the co-curator of this exhibition of Rubens. We are standing here in front of a small oil painting. It’s not a work that I recognize, but it’s your favorite. Tell me why it’s your favorite.

“Yes it’s my favorite because since the restoration is done, the colors, as you can see today are so bright, are so wonderful, that somehow I became totally in love with that painting. With one touch, with really one touch of white, he indicates the eyes. You can see it, it is really with nothing, the eyes here, you see, this little angel, puts two little spots of white and the expression of this angel is perfect. And he uses this color. There you also see he loves Italy. Some of the colors are so Italian, I would say, like the orange, the green, and he brings together Italy and makes something new about it. Even if the subject is very serious, the color makes it even a happy subject.”

It’s not just the paintings that are fascinating about Rubens, his personal life was also incredible, he was a great businessman, and a diplomat, he was an envoy…

The Raising of the Cross from Peter Paul Rubens

“Yes absolutely. And there was this anecdote saying that he was painting and teaching his pupils and at the same time someone else was reading antique texts for him. He was an erudite, but he was at the same time also an amazing painter, and at the same time he was a diplomat.

At a personal level his relationship to women has some fascinating stories there.

“Yes, but I think he was a very faithful husband and he was absolutely astonished by his young wife, his sixteen year old second wife, for sure.”

“A lot of people are put off by Rubens because they think: ‘a baroque artist, we have these big monumental works, altar pieces, portraits of large, Rubenesque women, a lot of people say he does not really speak to them.”

“Yes exactly, and I think that as you said, he also is a huge master and somehow I think that people can be a little bit afraid of him and that as also a bit the idea. Through the drawings, through the sketches, slowly but surely, you know, bring the people to the huge art of his. We have also a little guide with some details of the paintings to help the people to see better. To tell them: look at this, look at that detail, it’s always the same. When you understand better, you love better. You know, some of the paintings and drawings and sketches are together once again like they were in the studio, for the very first time ad maybe also for the very last time, so please take your time to look!”