Rubens and the Moderns
Such great Renaissance Masters as Michelangelo deeply impressed Rubens. In Rome, Rubens visited the Sistine Chapel and saw the visually commanding ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo. Rubens conceivably spent hours inside the chapel rigorously copying and studying Michelangelo’s individual figures that appear so vigorous on the ceiling.
One vivid example is Rubens’ study of one characteristically ‘Michelangesque’ male nudes, or ignudi, on the Sistine ceiling. The sketch reveals Rubens' keen interest in the nude body. In the sketch, all other details appear much less developed than the nude young man himself. Rubens only hinted at the drapery, using it as a sort of backdrop which bears out the male nude. What is more, the Flemish master simply ignored altogether the painted architectural elements surrounding the nude body. On the other hand, Rubens accurately recorded the pose of the seated, turning nude. The artist also carefully modelled the figure with vigorous yet delicate hatching in order to accentuate the nude young man’s musculature, rendering it even more prominent than Michelangelo’s original on the Sistine ceiling. This sketch perfectly demonstrates that the true focus of Rubens was the muscular appearance of the male nude designed by Michelangelo.
In this drawing, Rubens characteristically employed his own critical judgement, rendering the original artwork more palatable to his own taste and artistic sensibility. While accentuating the musculature of the nude, he also softened the figure, making him appear much less mannered and consequently more lifelike than Michelangelo’s original.