Madère & Porto Santo

Marcher parmi les fougères arborescentes ; prendre le teleférico des agriculteurs ; profiter du clapotis d'une piscine naturelle ; accueillir l'aube au-dessus des nuages... Des rouleaux de l'Atlantique aux petits ports de pêche éclaboussés de soleil, des plages de galets noirs aux romantiques quintas, goûtez la saudade sur "l'île aux fleurs" ! Un guide unique, plein de suggestions inédites et de conseils, écrit par des auteurs locaux, véritables experts de la destination - Les incontournables à ne pas manquer et leur surprenante réplique loin des foules. - Des idées pour un voyage respectueux et responsable ; de nombreuses cartes. - Un carnet d'adresses authentiques et originales pour vivre le meilleur de Madère. - Une plongée dans la culture locale, l'histoire, l'art de vivre et les traditions.

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is the most important painter of sketches in the history of European art. His Italian and Flemish predecessors had for the most part prepared their paintings by using drawings. Rubens transformed this process by systematically making sketches in colour, with oil paint, and nearly always on panel supports. Rubens's oil sketches were essentially a new form of painting. They brought together the design and colour stages of preliminary work. Because their purpose was to advance another work of art, oil sketches demanded less effort and time than the final products, and this translated into a less polished finish and smaller size. Rubens's sketches invite us to indulge in his art. They are powerful, vivid renditions of a variety of themes, from ancient history and mythology to religion, still life and portraits. They combine seriousness of purpose and a zest for life, transmitted through a masterly lightness of touch. Their small size and appearance of incompleteness draw us in and entice us to look closely. Their sheer quality is a great source of pleasure and learning. This catalogue presents detailed studies and superb illustrations of eighty-two of Rubens's most eloquent oil sketches, and two essays explaining the historical context from which they emerged, their salient features and how they were viewed by contemporaries.