Battle of Nude Men
This energetic drawing by a young Peter Paul Rubens is actually a tribute to Michelangelo. Created around 1601 during his Italian travels, Rubens copied this scene from an engraving of Michelangelo's lost design for the 'Battle of Cascina.' The sketch captures soldiers scrambling out of a river to fight, showcasing the intense muscularity and twisting poses that defined the High Renaissance. It’s a perfect example of how Baroque artists learned their craft—by studying and reinterpreting the giants who came before them, turning a copying exercise into a masterclass in human movement.
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