Rubens is
often called Prince of Baroque painters. In his style he successfully
united the features of Northern and Flemish art with those of
Italy. His influence on the painters of his century was enormous,
as it was on sculpture and architecture. He was a versatile genius
and rivalled in inventive power the great minds of the Italian
Renaissance. He was a humanist and classical archaeologist, a
sumptuous designer of religious, historical and allegorical canvases
and a supreme master in 'pure' landscape.
Rubens was endlessly active. There are thousands of works by his
hand, scattered through collections and museums across the world.
The paintings amount to more than three thousand. He also gave
the world the great number of pupils, the celebrated artists van
Dyck, Jordaens, Snyders and Cornelis de Vos are among them.
