File:Peter Paul Rubens - Venus at her Toilet - WGA20278.jpg

(b. 1577, Siegen, d. 1640, Antwerpen)

Venus at her Toilet c. 1608 Oil on canvas, 137 x 11 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

This painting provides an introduction to Rubens's mythological work and also to his ideal of female beauty. Although it is a copy of an <A onclick="return OpenOther('/html/t/tiziano/mytholo1/venustoi.html')" HREF="/html/t/tiziano/mytholo1/venustoi.html">original by Titian</A>, Rubens develops his own characteristic style of splendid and opulent female beauty which has brought his work universal fame. He uses a rich and contrasting palette of light tones, while the looseness of the brushstroke and the bright and uniform lighting serve to soften the contours, giving the painting a feeling of gauzy lightness.

The toilet of Venus is a timeless theme of sensuous seduction. You can view <A onclick="return OpenOther('http://www.wga.hu/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&title=Venus+AND+%28Toilet+OR+Mirror%29&comment=&time=any&school=any&form=any&type=any&location=&header=0&other=0&caption=Depictions+of+Venus+at+Her+Toilet')%22 HREF="http://www.wga.hu/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&title=Venus+AND+%28Toilet+OR+Mirror%29&comment=&time=any&school=any&form=any&type=any&location=&header=0&other=0&caption=Depictions+of+Venus+at+Her+Toilet%22>other depictions</A> of Venus at Her Toilet in the Web Gallery of Art.

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Author: RUBENS, Pieter Pauwel Title: Venus at her Toilet Time-line: 1601-1650 School: Flemish Form: painting