Creative Productivity: Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was an extraordinarily productive painter and also had a keen business sense. It's not surprising he became wealthier than many of his noble clients, and in fact, became a noble himself.

He shatters the myth of the "crazy" egocentric artist—by all accounts he was kind, generous, and temperate. He attended private mass every day, first thing in the morning, and set about his work. The following should give any artist pause:

Peter Paul Rubens came on a diplomatic mission to Madrid, charged by his government to pave the way to the conclusion of peace between England and Spain. Rubens was then about fifty years old. He stayed nine months in the Spanish capital, and, despite his diplomatic duties and the gout, found time to paint an extraordinary number of pictures, including five of Philip. He also copied the king's Titians. 1

Five portraits of Philip and he copied all the king's Titians. He may have had assistants' help on the portraits—but he probably copied the Titians for his own study. Thus, in nine months he produced dozens of high quality paintings and succeeded at his "day job" of negotiating a treaty.