Three Sketches for Medea and Her Children 1600 - 1604

Curator: Rubens gives us a harrowing glimpse into a Greek tragedy with these "Three Sketches for Medea and Her Children," created sometime between 1600 and 1604. I'm struck by the way the artist captures raw human emotion. What stands out to you, Editor? Editor: Honestly, the initial impression is chaos and flight, like a storm ripping through a family. There's a vulnerability in the sketchy, unfinished quality, as if capturing a moment too terrible to fully realize. The frenzied lines suggest madness and panic. Curator: Absolutely, the frenetic quality hints at the horrific narrative depicted. Rubens' choice of oil paint to draft the three distinct renditions of Medea captures an attempt to evoke pathos; she is the maternal figure and wronged lover turned vengeful killer, caught in moments of agony. These sketches, beyond simple material observations, illuminate an attempt to grapple with unbearable tragedy and intense moral conflicts. Editor: I can feel her inner torment. It is unsettling how Rubens captures her grief or perhaps the very absence of grief. Look at the face in the first rendering versus the third-- the figures almost float out of the scene as if escaping from the terror, or perhaps embracing death, in order to bring ruin to her adulterous lover, Jason. Curator: Let's consider that through preliminary drawings like these, Rubens negotiated his source materials, as well as sought out a mode of depicting a classical subject and bringing it to life for 17th-century patrons who knew the narratives well, adding a spin. There's labor evident here—not just physical work, but mental toil. Editor: Definitely a complex and devastating look into humanity, really. It gets under my skin. Thank you for walking me through this terrible, mesmerizing piece! Curator: Thanks, Editor, I agree! Examining it closer helps unveil the craftsmanship and material conditions that bring art to life, adding a whole layer to its interpretation.