[.ca] Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640: The Homer of Painting (ISBN 3822828858)

Rubens for amateurs!:
...This small book is a treasure for those who are just going into the Art world and Rubens...it is a piece of a collection worth having...it gives you a little about the artist...and his most important paintings...I started my collection a year ago, and can tell you for the price there is not a better buy!

A Wonderful & Useful Book:
I agree wholeheartedly with Argie Paniagua that this is a genuine gem of a book. The author, Gilles Neret, gives a good and detailed summary of Rubens' life that places him and his paintings within the context of their time. He goes on to explain, effectively and without artistic jargon, what makes Rubens' paintings so powerful and memorable. This is really useful to anyone who is trying to understand how art comes about, how art can be good and effective (or bad and ineffective), and why the works of one artist are, or can be, so much better than those of another artist despite the fact that both artists are equally capable on a technical level. Neret's writing also helps to communicate some of the enthusiasm that Rubens himself imparted into his works. And what paintings !!! The plentiful selection of Rubens' paintings in such a slim volume really puts meat onto the well-constructed frame of the author's writing. The high quality, glossy paper of the book enhances the presentation of these works. Both the full paintings and detailed sections of paintings are displayed in a well-thought-out manner in order to illustrate, to illuminate and to educate. Not only did I enjoy the effect of taking in each painting as a whole, but I also found myself studying closely the minor details of numerous paintings to see "how Rubens did it." If you cannot afford to buy an original Rubens painting (and how many of us can ?) or if you want to obtain a good understanding of the painter and of his works, you should buy this book (which is very reasonably priced) because you will be very pleased with it.