Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) proudly described his monumental painting Prometheus Bound as first among "the flower of my stock." This singular work demonstrates how Rubens engaged with and responded to his predecessors Michelangelo and Titian, with whom he shared an interest in depictions of physical torment. The Wrath of the Gods offers an in-depth case study of the Flemish artist's creative process and aesthetic, while also demonstrating why this particular painting has appealed to viewers over time. Many scholars have elaborated on Rubens's affinity for Titian, but his connection to Michelangelo has received far less attention. This study presents a new interpretation of Prometheus Bound, showing how Rubens created parallels between the pagan hero Prometheus and Michelangelo's Risen Christ from the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgment. Christopher D. M. Atkins expands our understanding of artistic transmission by elucidating how Rubens synthesized the works he saw in Italy, Spain, and his native Antwerp, and how Prometheus Bound in turn influenced Dutch, Flemish, and Italian artists. By emulating Rubens's composition, these artists circulated it throughout Europe, broadening its influence from his day to ours. Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Philadelphia Museum of Art (09/12/15-12/06/15)

2013 is officially Frans Hals Year, marking exactly 100 years since the Frans Hals Museum opened its doors to display the work of this key Dutch artist of the seventeenth century. The most important exhibition in this jubilee year is "Frans Hals: Eye to Eye with Rembrandt, Rubens and Titian," in which key works by Hals are presented alongside paintings by such famed colleagues as Titian, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Jordaens and Rubens. In this eponymous publication, all the works in the exhibition are presented side by side, enabling the reader to compare the masterpieces and see just how the artists inspired one another. These unique comparisons and juxtapositions of master painters lead to a far deeper and more nuanced understanding of seventeenth-century painting and its tight web of artistic connections. Famous painters, after all, often produced their works in response to one another, with the aim of proving their creative and technical mettle--while also aiming to surpass (and perhaps even intimidate) their fellow artists. This painterly swordsmanship spurred individual artists--and art as a whole--to ever greater heights. A selection of distinguished international specialists casts new light on Hals' virtuosity, his central role in seventeenth-century culture and his artistic relationship with his contemporaries in Antwerp (Rubens, Van Dyck) and Amsterdam (Rembrandt).