Allegory Of The Sense Of Smell 1617 - 1618

Peter Paul Rubens created this painting, "Allegory of the Sense of Smell", with oil paints on canvas. The materiality here isn't just about the lusciousness of the paint, it's also about the labor of cultivating the garden it depicts. Consider how the artist used the texture of the paint to render the various surfaces within the garden: soft skin, patterned fur, reflective stone. Beyond that, the flowers themselves are not just pretty things; they are products of intense agricultural effort, managed labor, and an elaborate economic system. We can imagine that this garden, and the allegory it presents, would not have been accessible to all during the 17th century. By attending to the making and the context of this painting, we can recognize its full meaning and challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and the wider world.