Johanna of Austria 1620 - 1623

This is Peter Paul Rubens's portrait of Johanna of Austria, created with oil on panel. Though seemingly traditional, Rubens had a profoundly modern understanding of how the art of painting could be industrialized. Rubens was the master of his own studio, a workshop where different assistants specialized in certain aspects of a painting, such as drapery, landscape backgrounds, or the underpainting of skin. Here, Rubens would have begun with a panel prepared with gesso, and then laid in broad strokes of color to establish the composition, likely with the aid of drawings. He would then bring in assistants to execute the less critical passages. Rubens reserved the final, bravura touches for himself, like the highlights on Johanna's dress and jewelry. This division of labor allowed him to produce a large number of works, meeting the great demand for his paintings, and prefiguring later modes of industrial production. So, while the painting exudes aristocratic elegance, remember also the savvy business model that allowed its creation.