The Village Fête Pierre Paul RUBENS 1635-1638 Oil painting
Flemish painter Rubens invites us to a country fair in Flanders. The villagers have gathered in several groups. They eat aplenty, drink, kiss, spirits roused by the wine. Others jump, bounce. Their dance is frenzied. Taking each other in by the waist or shoulders, they give form to a farandole which stretches out into the background. What a bustle!
Our eyes, following these moving bodies, draw a serpentine line across the painting and stop at the sight of the peaceful countryside.
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