In today’s class, the lecture focused on the Baroque in the Netherlands—much of the lecture centered around Peter Paul Rubens and his accomplishments. One of Rubens’s inspirations was the Italian painter Caravaggio. I am always impressed when artists from this period can draw direct inspiration from each other. As a product of modern technologies myself, I find it difficult to imagine how they were able to inspire each other without the ease of modern technologies that we are lucky enough to have today. After reading about Rubens’s paintings in the textbook before class, it was very interesting to take a closer look at them. His talent is incredibly impressive as well. When looking at the paintings on the larger screen in class, I was more able to appreciate the artistic elements and painterly style. Being able to see the brushwork in the painting adds depth and complexity that I think is very interesting. It is a nice way to acknowledge the process that goes into the impressive paintings, even if these highlight brush strokes are often added at the end.