Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens

The Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens, is one of the most touching child portraits in the history of European art. It shows Rubens's five-year-old daughter from his marriage to Isabella Brant. Her resemblance to her mother is clear. The disarming directness with which the child looks at the viewer is not typical of contemporary portrait painting, but expresses the intimate relationship between father and daughter. Rubens uses color with great skill to capture her face. The warm coloring of the flesh tones makes a particular impact against the gray-green ground and the child's clothing. The stron... Mehr ...