Venus and Adonis (Rubens, 1635)

[1] This oil on canvas painting shows Venus accompanied by Cupid, embracing and pulling Adonis before he goes off to hunt.

The artist uses specific colors, detail and strong contrast between light and dark to depict a dramatic and emotional scene.

At the time Rubens created the painting, the mythological story of Venus and Adonis was popular in Renaissance and Baroque court art.

Working for Gonzaga allowed Rubens to travel all throughout southern Europe and gain knowledge and inspiration from high Renaissance and Baroque artists.

The first records of the painting’s history were from the collection of the Elector of Bavaria, where it was held until 1706.It was then taken by Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor who then presented it to John Churchill at Blenheim Palace until it was sold by the 8th Duke of Marlborough [3] In 1937, it was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Harry Payne Bingham, who had loaned it to the Met since 1920.

After this painting, Rubens created more depictions of this scene, one of which included Venus’s chariot and the two figures posed differently.

Rubens uses formal elements of his Italian Renaissance influences and Baroque artistic sensibility to depict the popular mythological subject.

Also, the moody lighting of the painting makes them glow and stand out, a dramatic tenebrism similar to the works of southern Baroque artists Titian and Caravaggio[4] Adonis is dressed in a bright red garment, making his figure stand out in front of all the other light and muted colors.

Rubens focus on Adonis’s muscles and the large spear he holds, emphasize his strong masculinity and power.

The muted sky, dim trees and ground, and a slight dark and opaque border around the painting contrast with the figures to make the scene more dramatic.