He
painted enormous canvases, and the number of pictures, altar-pieces,
mythological decorations, landscapes, portraits scattered throughout
the galleries of Europe, and attributed to him, is simply amazing. He
was undoubtedly helped in many of his canvases by his pupils, but the
works painted by his own hand make a world of art in themselves. He
was the greatest painter of the North, a full-rounded, complete
genius, comparable to Titian in his universality. His precursors and
masters, Van Noort (1562-1641) and Vaenius (1558-1629), gave no strong
indication of the greatness of Ruben's art, and his many pupils,
though echoing his methods, never rose to his height in mental or
artistic grasp.
[Illustration: FIG. 78.--VAN DYCK. PORTRAIT OF CORNELIUS VAN DER
GEEST. NAT. GAL. LONDON.]
Van Dyck (1599-1641) was his principal pupil. He followed Rubens
closely at first, though in a slighter manner technically, and with a
cooler coloring. After visiting Italy he took up with the warmth of
Titian.
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