The art of Peter Paul Ruben is a combination of traditional Flemish realism with the classicizing tendencies of the Italian Renaissance style. Peter Paul Rubens had the cunning ability to infuse his own incredible vigor into a powerful and extravagant style that came to define the Baroque art movement of the 17th century. “Baroque art characterized by violent movements, strong emotion, and dramatic lighting and coloring.” The figures in his paintings create a penetrating sense of realistic kinetic movement, while maintaining the appearance of a grandiose but composed stature. Peter Paul Rubens, the epitome of the educated and influential 17th century artist, studied the "works of Veronese, Tintoretto, Titian and Caravaggio." (Baroque Art nd) and even went to the trouble of reproducing one of Leonardo's drawings to show that he understood the composition and style of Italian Renaissance art. Growing up in Belgium, Peter Paul Rubens was familiar with traditional Flemish art which was mainly landscapes and portraits, composed of vivid details and reserved composition. Peter Paul Ruben's deep understanding of Italian Renaissance art and traditional Flemish art became very evident in 1604-05. with the oil on canvas composition The Fall of Phaethon, . The Fall of Phaethon is about Helios, the Greek god who rode in the chariot of the sun, who gave birth to a boy, Phaethon, to a mortal mother. Aided by the carelessness of youth, Phaethon deceived his father by allowing him to take the chariot. The horses immediately fled, burning almost everything in their path with the heat of the sun, as Phaethon was half-mortal, meaning he was too weak to control the mighty horses. As the sun crosses the sky, Mother Earth calls out to Z...... middle of paper ...... notably the way Rubens blends into the yellow streak of visible light while using other objects in the center of the sky. scene. Rubens started with a thin layer of blue and a thick brush and carried out his painting on this layer in addition to thin layers excluding the main objects in the center which received a thicker layer of paint. These objects were also painted with a much finer brush than that of the first layer. Rubens personified one of the most creative, competent and successful Western artists, and his almost unlimited design ingenuity allowed him to become a master of the best studios. in Europe. As a French Romantic artist describes it, Peter Paul Rubens is the one who “takes us beyond the limit barely reached by the most eminent painters; he dominates, he dominates, with all his freedom and his audacity.”