"Rubens: Picturing Antiquity" is now open at the Getty Villa! Peter Paul Rubens, a 17th-century Flemish artist, is best known for his lively paintings and full-bodied figures. But less well-known is his deep admiration for the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Take his painting of the Calydonian Boar Hunt, for example. See how the heroic Meleager (draped in red) thrusts his spear at the vicious boar, while the huntress Atalanta (in purple) stands with her bow at the ready? Now compare that with a 3rd-century Roman marble sarcophagus relief depicting the same myth. Can you see the similarities? Rubens likely saw this specific sarcophagus relief while visiting Rome as a young man, but rather than copy the relief exactly, he transformed the scene to reflect his own artistic style and aesthetic interest in fleshy bodies, dynamic motion, and vibrant color, while compressing the composition to heighten the drama. In the early 1800s, the ancient relief was acquired by the Duke of Bedford ...