Psyche Taken up into Olympus 

Curator: Immediately striking. It's as though we are peering through a tear in the fabric of reality, witnessing some tumultuous celestial gathering. Editor: That’s a wonderful interpretation. The piece before us is thought to be by Peter Paul Rubens and titled “Psyche Taken up into Olympus”. The medium is oil on canvas and the figures depicted are classicized and placed amidst ethereal clouds. Curator: Looking closely at those figures, I’m fascinated by how Rubens uses layering and visible brushstrokes to create a sense of movement, particularly within the robes and cloud formations. He doesn’t seem to shy away from showcasing the very labor involved in building this composition. The dynamism comes from that conscious, exposed construction. Editor: And it is interesting to consider this dynamism within the broader Baroque context, wouldn't you say? Religious and political institutions of the period loved this emotional, highly charged imagery, precisely because of the power it wielded over audiences. It almost forces one into submission, evoking something of a religious experience through dramatic spectacle. Curator: Submission or absorption. Look at the pigment application in the figures: blush, skin, fabric. The process doesn't mask or monumentalize these elite subjects. They seem of a piece with their ethereal surrounding environment; earthly bodies becoming celestial, and heavenly space appearing solid as earthly flesh. Rubens really invites that physical involvement. Editor: I suppose, for me, there's a push and pull here. Rubens, a master of propaganda for powerful patrons, also had this extraordinary gift for painting in ways that spoke to very real human dramas and desires. It certainly invites the viewer to interpret social meanings related to both consumption and status. Curator: So, in this final analysis, where are we left standing? In the clouds, so to speak? Editor: Somewhere between myth and reality, consumption and desire, wouldn't you agree? A very complicated and fascinating place to linger, pondering questions raised in “Psyche Taken up into Olympus”.