utilize the use of light pastels. The use of light colors seems to make the bodies in the painting glow and draw direct attention to that which is taking place in the painting. The most noticeable figure in the artwork is the female standing directly in the center with the white cloth wrapped around her body. Reubens apparently wanted the viewer to take notice of this figure, and by emphasizing her appearance with the extreme usage of white colors, his goal was achieved. By doing so, it really makes all of the other individuals not stand out so much and I think Reubens implied this technique on purpose. Yet with all of that said, the painting itself is full of rich and defining contrasts that sets each area of the painting apart from one another. Another aspect of the painting, which I would like to discuss, is that of shadowing and shading. Reubens was very good at this technique because it was emphasized throughout and is extremely noticeable on the subjects' bodies. Casting shadows and shading is a very difficult technique because the artist must decide where the source of light is coming from and how it interacts and reflects upon the objects in the painting. In this particular work, it appears that there was very little light involved, yet by the light and dark shades that are found on the subjects' bodies, it is evident that a light source was intended. The third aspect of the painting that I would like to discuss is that of perspective. More specifically, I would like to note that this painting falls under the realm of the linear perspective. By definition, linear perspective is a system for representing masses in space using a scale in which size represents distance, closer things being larger than those farther away. If you look at the painting very closely, you will notice that this is truly the case. Like I mentioned earlier, the woman in the middle is clearly the central focus, and not mistakenly, she is also ...
