The three Graces by Pierre Paul Rubens

Considered one of the master’s most poetic and sensual creations, this mythological composition celebrates the pure beauty of femininity. The painter Pierre Paul Rubens orchestrates in “Les Trois Grâces” a hymn to grace, love, and divine sisterhood. The work embodies the Baroque aesthetic ideal through the fullness of nude bodies, the harmony of the dance, and the freshness of the bucolic setting.:::::Three nude deities stand embraced in a circle beneath a canopy of foliage adorned with a rich garland of multicolored flowers. The figure on the left, seen in profile, tenderly embraces the shoulder of her central sister who presents her back of generous forms. The Grace on the right turns toward her companions while holding a light translucent white veil wrapping around their thighs. To the right of the composition, a carved stone fountain pours a stream of clear water into an ornate basin. In the background, a verdant rural landscape stretches under a blue sky dotted with light clouds. Diffused light caresses the pearlescent skin of the three women and enhances the vivid hues of the roses and peonies.:::::Pierre Paul Rubens reaches a peak of virtuosity in rendering the velvety skin of the female form and the transparency of veils. His refined work with oil glazes infuses sensual vitality as well as striking realism into this mythological circle.