In today’s class we discussed the Baroque in the Netherlands, focusing primarily on the works of Peter Paul Rubens. We discussed Rubens’ Elevation of the Cross, which was clearly influenced by previous triptychs and the Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo. We covered the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns, which was an argument between the Poussinists and the Rubenists long after both were dead. It was interesting to see the massive influence of Caravaggio in the works of Rubens as well, as he lived such a short life and yet had a huge influence over many famous painters in the decades after his death. Rubens’ choice to show the brushwork in his painting was an interesting change from the normal, and it was cool to see that technique be prevalent in the works of other artists such as Hals and other Dutch artists.