Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

Sketch for the painting painted by Jacob Peter Gouwi, Madrid, Prado, n° 1540. The Fall of Icarus is part of a series of sketches that Rubens completed to decorate the Torre de la Parada, the Spanish kings' hunting lodge near Madrid. In 1636, Philip IV commissioned a series of paintings for the lodge. The monarch turned to Rubens to carry out the paintings on the subject of mythology. Rubens concentrated on the movement of the two bodies which contrasts with the calm sea and the intensity of the sun. Icarus is featured in full sunlight, whilst Daedalus’' body is painted in more sombre tones. This interplay of shadow and light helps the artist not only to make Icarus the point of focus for the scene, but also to emphasise his vulnerability. (Nathalie Toussaint in 'Musée d'Art Ancien. Oeuvres choisies' [Ancient Art Museum: Selected works])