Influence of Michelangelo on Peter Paul Rubens

Although Michelangelo never met Peter Paul Rubens, he had a direct impact on the man's work, as did many of his contemporary Italian painters. In 1600, Rubens went to Italy. There, he studied the works of preceding and contemporary artists in great

detail. All had great influence on him, especially Caravaggio, Raphael, and Michelangelo. In addition to finding work with Italiannobles, Rubens went around the country sketching reproductions of the best works of these and other artists. In fact his sketches saved some paintings from being completely lost,including Leonardo da Vinci’s Battle at Anghiari. He also sketched a model of

Michelangelo’s lost Hercules statue. He also went to the Sistine Chapel and copied Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, with several small modifications of his own. When he did do works of his own, these studies paid off. Michelangelo’s influence is clear in several of Rubens’ original works: in Prometheus Bound, the writhing torso of Prometheus is similar to those on Michelangelo’s Prisoners statues, and Rubens’s figures in The Raising of the Cross also resemble Michelangelo’s style.