Peter Paul Rubens

Rubens, of the seventeenth century, painted his masterworks at a time when patronage of the arts from church and people of the upper classes who loved art. For this reason, and the previous generations of master artists to learn from, this time period, is considered many in the circles of art history, consider this period to be one of the highest peaks of artistic creativity and production of all time.

Of this peak in art history, Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most brilliant of the times. Interestingly enough, he was also a diplomat, and an ambassador who negotiated peace treaties, for the ruling Hapsburgs.

At the time of Rubens, the standard of what was considered beautiful and admirable about women differed than that of today. Women with larger figures were favored, and this is where the term Rubenesque originated.

Rubens had created a series of landscapes from the gorgeous country region from where he lived, Hesteem. These works are considered by far to be among the top paintings created throughout history.