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C·30, et subsequent amendments. ses amendements subséquents~ Canada • Peter Paul Rubens and Colour Theory: an assessment of the evidence by Rüdiger Meyer AThesis submitled to the Faculty ofGraduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment • of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Art History McGill University Montreal, Canada March,1995 • © Rüdiger Meyer, 1995 National Ubrary Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et BiblIOgraphie Services Branch des services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa. Oritario onewa (OntariO) K1A0N4 K1AON4 THE AUTHOR HAS GRANTED AN L'AUTEUR A ACCORDE UNE LICENCE IRREVOCABLE NON-EXCLUSIVE IRREVOCABLE ET NON EXCLUSIVE LICENCE ALLOWING THE NATIONAL PERMETTANT A LA BffiLiOTHEQUE LffiRARY OF CANADA 1'0 NATIONALE DU CANADA DE REPRODUCE. 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ISBN 0-612-05758-5 Canad~ • For my parents • • • Also for P.J.B. with special thanks • • • TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................. iii ABSTRACT............................................................................... iv RÉSUMÉ.................................................................................. v LIST OF ILLUSTRATONS............................................................. vii INTRODUCTION . CHAPTER 1: COLOUR AND COLOUR THEORIES......................... 12 Artists' Techniques................................................ 47 Rubens' Technique................................................ 51 • CHAPTER Il: PETER PAUL RUBENS......................................... 56 The Man and his Fame.................. 56 Rubens' Artistie Reputation....... 61 The Artist and the Noble.......................................... 68 CHAPTER HI: APELLES........................................................... 76 The Artist and his Reputation..................................... 76 Rubens: /lO/l sl/i tantl/111 saeel/li sed OIIl/lis..................... 82 aevi Apelles dici Iller/II Apelles and Colour Theory...................................... 85 CHAPTER IV: THEORY... 94 Primary Colours........................................... ..... 94 Rubens and Theory............................................... 100 • i CHAPTERV: OPTlCORUM LIBRI SEx.. .. 106 François de Aguilon . 106 • Rubens and Aguilon . 112 OplïcorulIl Libri Sex . 116 Rubens and the Illustrations . 125 CHAPTER VI: TWO PAINTINGS . 130 JUliO alld Argus . 130 T"e Allegory of Sig"I .. 135 CHAPTER VII: EVIDENCE .. 145 Evidence for a Col OUI' Theory .. 145 The Wrillen Evidence .. 149 Nicolas Fabri de Peiresc . 154 The Evidence and the Correspondence .. 156 CHAPTER VIII: CONCLUSION . 159 • BIBLIOGRAPHY . 165 ILLUSTRATIONS . 181 • ii • Aeknowledgements First und foremost, 1would like to thank my parents for their cunstant support and interest in my endeavours. Withoutthem this sl.udy would not have come to fruition. My deep thanks go also to Penelope. 1cannot thank her enough for ail of her help in mallers large and small. Most importantly, 1would like to thank Ooctor Thomas L. Glen, my advisor, for his encouragement and interest in my work during the course of my graduate studies, and particularly during the writing of this t"esis. His advice, proffered with unstinting generosity during our frequent discussions. has been invaluable. Dr. G1en's editorial expertise and his thought-provoking suggestions have made this text that much more readable. 1am also indebted to ail ofthe other members of the Oepartment ofArt History of • McGiIl University. 1have had the privilege ofbenefilling from their leaming and 1am gratefulto them for having allowed me to do so. 1owe thanks as wellto the many Iibrarians working in the University's research Iibraries, parlieularly to those tireless individuals in the Inter-Library Loans Oepartment. in the Reference Services, and in the Blackader-Lauterman Library. Their assistance was vital to my research. My friends have ail helped in their individual ways; 1would Iike to mention particularly, Laura and Peter Haynes and Naney Ounton for their unflagging encouragement. also Ron Harvie and Christine Ross for their valuable critkism and espccially, Chris Kuilman. whose wizardry with computers makes what follows look sa very presentable. • iii • Abstract Peter Paul Rubens' creative genius, as cxprcsscd with consummatc mastery in his paintings, is but one of the many clements that have compoundcd to establish his fame. He is also renowned as a man of immense erudition. indecd, his rcputation is such that it is taken for granted that his grcat lcarning informed ail aspects of his art in a fundmllcntal way. ln accordance wilh this kind of thinking, currcnt scholarship on Rubens accepts, us a matte" of course, that the artist, whilst creating his painted works, followed the dictates of a colour theory, as wc wouId know it today. In fact, on the basis ofcircumslantiul evidence, it has been accepted that Rubens invented a colour theory that may be sccn as innovative for his time. This thesis assesses the evidence which has led researchers to formulate such a • conclusion. As a consequence, it investigates the circumstances of Rubens assocmtion with François de Aguilon during the final stages ofthe latter's publication of his book on opties, the OpticorulIl lilJri sex .... As weil, the artist's correspondence with his friend, Nicolas Fabri de Peircsc, which contains allusions to an autograph manuscript purported to contain Rubens' thoughts on colour, is re-examined. Indeed, this very correspondcncc revcals Ihat Rubens did not consider himself particularly knowledgcable about the theorclical aspects of colour. On the basis ofa thorough review of these existing documents; an investigation into relevant biographieal circumstances; and an examination of the artist's technique, it is herc proposed that Rubens did not consciously apply theorctical principles to his craft, but rather, that any ofthe discernable clements ofwhat is considered to he modem colour theory are in the paintings only because the demands ofthe painter's cran • serendipitously parallel art historians' theorctical hindsight. iv Résumé • Le génie créateur de Pierre Paul (Petrus Paulus) Rubens tel qu'il est exprimé avec une maîtrise achevée dans ses peintures, n'est que l'un des nombreux éléments qui ont contribué à établir sa renommée. Il est aussi reconnu comme un homme d'une grande érudition. En effet, sa réputation est telle qu'il est pris pour acquis que son savoir a informé tous les aspects de son art d'une façon ~ondamentale. En concordance avec cette pensée, les spécialistes sur Rubens présument que l'artiste suivait les règles d'une théorie des couleurs dans la création de ses oeuvres, laquelle serait identique aux théories actuelles des couleurs, telle que nous la connaîtrions aujourd'hui. Toutefois, certains indices circonstanciels ont plutôt permis d'admettre que Rubens avait inventé une théorie des couleurs jugée novatrice à l'époque. Toutefois, certains indices circonstanciels ont plutôt permis d'admettre que Rubens avait inventé une • théorie des couleurs jugée novatrice à l'époque. Ce travail évalue les témoignages qui ont mené les chercheurs à formuler cette conclusion. Le champ d'étude porte donc sur les circonstances de l'association de Rubens à François de Aguilon, aux dernières étapes de la publication de son livre