|
This painting belongs to the early landscapes of the artist.
Rubens generally painted his landscapes for himself. That explains not only the lack of his pupils' involvement and a biblical or mythological basis in such works but also their experimental nature. Here Rubens depicts a moonlit night and a day, with the central foreground scene brightly lit by some third source. Along with the terrain heaving in different directions, resisting the haulers' efforts and the dissonant chorus of trees, this imbues the painting with a physical sense of transformation.
| 
