Rubens. The Restoration of Venus and Cupid
The museum is presenting a special exhibition in Room 19 of the permanent collection devoted to the restoration and technical study undertaken on Venus and Cupid by Peter Paul Rubens.
This project has allowed the restorers to gain more detailed knowledge of the materials used by the artist and his working methods, as well as to reinstate the painting’s chromatic balance and sense of perspective, which were previously concealed under layers of aged and deteriorated varnish.
Selection of images
Works in this exhibition
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The deterioration of the varnish on the painting Venus and Cupid made it difficult to properly appreciate its hues and dulled the luminosity that Rubens had intended it to have.
Rubens succeeds in conveying the delicacy with which Venus presses the middle finger of her hand against her breast with just a few small brushstrokes.
Did you know that Rubens used a knife in this work?
Rubens used this tool to apply a layer of white paint beneath the figures' skin to enhance their luminosity and volume.
