All Saints c. 1614

Curator: Peter Paul Rubens' oil sketch, *All Saints*, dates from around 1614. Editor: It feels more like "All Ghosts" at first glance, doesn't it? Ethereal and undefined, yet teeming with figures reaching upwards. Curator: The upward movement is key. It utilizes dynamic asymmetry, wouldn't you say, to achieve a Baroque sense of drama and religious ecstasy. The figures, swirling towards the light, are less portraits and more compositional elements. Editor: You're right, they're pulled upwards—almost like the smoke from a fire. There’s such a visceral tension between the murky earthly realm and the transcendent luminosity above. Look at how the light seems to emanate from those floating figures. Did Rubens plan for this to be a fresco or something else? Curator: Actually, this work is an oil-on-panel sketch; however, its connection to fresco, you observed so acutely, reveals the preparatory function as studies for larger projects. The loose brushwork creates a sense of movement, appropriate for his exploration of celestial realms. Editor: It's fascinating how that 'looseness' actually amplifies the spiritual impact, doesn't it? Like glimpsing something profound at the edge of perception. The colour choices reinforce the notion. Mostly tonal; all creams, browns, and golds. I keep gravitating towards the contrast, and how those near-monochromatic figures at the bottom become anchors. What is Rubens trying to communicate? Curator: Ah, precisely! The contrast directs the eye skyward, as if the lower figures were rooted in materiality and aspire to an existence within that upper sphere. It is a potent exercise of tenebrism. Consider it, further, a symbolic representation of spiritual ascension, of saints lifted towards divine presence through acts of faith. Editor: To think this wasn't even the finished painting! I love that Rubens captured something so elemental in this raw study. Curator: Precisely. These sketches capture the initial dynamism. I hope visitors recognize both his command of form and his deft skill for expressing nuanced emotional intent through composition and light. Editor: It reminds me to trust my instincts. Thank you Rubens!