The joy of life of Rubens and his disciples spreads throughout the CaixaForum

BarcelonaIf you could have dinner with any artist—living or dead—who would you choose? The director of the Prado Museum, Miguel Falomir, doesn't think twice: "I would choose Rubens, clearly. I don't like cursed painters. He was a happy man; he married twice and he did so in love. He was cultured, enjoyed art, and lived with the joy that his own lives exude." Specifically, the new exhibition at the CaixaForum in Barcelona, ​​​​titled Rubens and the artists of the Flemish Baroque, captures this "way of being in life and in the world" of the Flemish painter. Courtier and diplomat, Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen, 1577 - Antwerp, 1640) left behind fundamental works for the history of art. Some of them, such as The Immaculate Conception (1628-1629) and The Judgment of Paris (1638) can be seen at CaixaForum until September 21, in an exhibition consisting of around sixty pieces from the Prado's collections, around fifteen of which have been restored for the occasion.

Rubens was, in Falomir's words, "a kind and generous man with his assistants" and "he boosted the careers of those with talent." Following in the footsteps of this attitude, the exhibition includes works by the painter, but also by his contemporaries and disciples, some of whom became mainstays of the Flemish Baroque, such as Anton van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, Jan Brueghel the Elder, and David Teniers the Younger. To convey this sense of collective creation to the visitor, a recreation of the painter's studio welcomes the exhibition. "It was his nerve center and evoked a way of working," explains the exhibition's curator, José Juan Pérez Preciado. Also welcoming the public is a self-portrait of Rubens, in which he is seen with a gold chain on his shoulder, "a symbol of his strong personality and of how he perceives himself as an important person in society," the curator notes.

Divine passions like any mortal

With paintings like The Judgment of ParisRubens appropriated classical myths and represented them "in a sensual and beautiful way to equate divine passions with those of mortals," says Pérez Preciado. Next to this piece, which is one of the jewels of the exhibition, you can see The Measures trial by Jordaens, a painting that he later reproduced in the collection of The Meninas. "Each work hides a message, that's why Rubens' mythological pieces are interesting. With The Judgment of Paris tells us that all decisions have consequences, and with The Judgment of Midas, Jordaens takes the myth and gives it a political reading," notes the curator.

One of the exhibition's unique features is that it allows us to observe how Rubens's contemporaries learned from the master and later developed their own creations, some of which are related in style and form and, at the same time, differ from those of history. Dyck, which are exhibited side by side. "We can see in both the creative power of Rubens and, at the same time, how they represent the same theme from different perspectives," says Pérez Preciado. These pieces are part of a series of religious images that appeared after the Wars of Religion. disappeared, and artists like Rubens responded with large-scale paintings and very powerful compositions that represent the principles of religious culture," explains the curator.

In the central part of the exhibition, works that refer to collecting and patronage take center stage. One of the most impressive paintings is Sight and Smell, by Jan Brueghel, a representation of the galleries that reflects the importance of protecting and promoting local artists of the period. Also on display is the portrait of Isabella Clara Eugenia, painted by Rubens alongside Brueghel. These pieces demonstrate "how those in power used art as a tool of political propaganda," says the curator.

This is the sixth exhibition by CaixaForum in collaboration with the Prado and is presented as "a fascinating journey through one of the most relevant moments in European art," says CaixaForum director Mireia Domingo. Taking advantage of the exhibition, CaixaForum has organized lectures with specialists on the figure of Rubens and the Flemish Baroque, as well as family activities and a Baroque music concert.