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STEVEN: We're in the Louvre,

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and we are looking at the monumental cycle by Peter Paul Rubens of Marie de Medici.

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There are 24 canvases that were painted by Rubens over a four year period with the help of his workshop.

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Now according to the contract, he had to paint all the figures

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but his assistants could certainly paint in much of the rest.

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This is a major commision by one of the most powerful women in Europe at this time,

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if not the most powerful woman.

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Her father was the Duke of Tuscany,

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and her husband was Henry IV, King of France.

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This cycle is a commemoration of the major events of her life.

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Although, I have to come out and say it,

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it is absurd in its grandeur.

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It is completey over the top.

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This is the woman who had some significant events in her life,

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but certainly was extremely wealthy and extremely powerful.

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Nevertheless, Rubens clearly had to struggle and bring in every mythological stage prop that he could

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in order to complete a cycle that was, we can only say, dedicated to her ego.

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In reality, she had an interesting and problematic life.

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There were quite a number of scandals, and not least of which was when her son, who would be Louis XIII.

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He was too young to take the throne, and so she was in control of France as regent.

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But then when he finally came to age, she continued to reign. She wouldn't let him to ascend to the throne

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and when he was finally old enough and had the authority to be able to say, "No, it's my turn,"

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he actually banished her from France and he wouldn't allow her to came back for years.

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BETH: And you get the sense of why,

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because she was obviously very ambitous, very powerful

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and it might have been hard to rule in her presence

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STEVEN: In her shadow.

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Let's take a look at the ninth painting in this series of 24.

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It is when she is coming to France from Italy.

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It's called the "The Disembarkation at Marseilles,"

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and, you know, to get off a ship is not usually not seen as a particularly triumphant moment,

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but Rubens is able to make this seem as if it, itself, is a triumphant moment.

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BETH: Right, she is the queen,

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Victory above her with trumpts announcing her arrival.

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STEVEN: That's right. Not just one, but two trumpets.

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BETH: This is the beginning of her fulfillment of her destiny as Queen of France.

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STEVEN: And we see France personified by a figure

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that seems to be preparing to kneel before her

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wearing a blue cape of gold fleur de lys.

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BETH: Which is the symbol of the royal family of France

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STEVEN: Behind her is a Knight of Malta that looks on.

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This fabulous ship, just heavily wrought.

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This sky, in the most baroque fashion is just swirling and full of energy,

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but that's nothing with compared to what goes on below the gangplank.

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BETH: That's right. We have three nereids or sea nymphs below her

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along with the gods of the sea, writhe and turn.

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STEVEN: Almost as if they are the the sea themselves.

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It's as if their bodies are waves.

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There's this just tremendous energy and real beauty.

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I mean, look at the colors and the understanding of the torsion of the body.

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BETH: The drama of their poses contrast with the stateliness

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and the grandeur of Marie de Medici above.

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STEVEN: You'll noticed that they are actually assisting

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by holding the ship fast to the land so that she can walk easily.

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BETH: They enabled the pagan gods and goddesses, and figures of victory,

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are all there at the service of Marie de Medici's destiny as Queen

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And it's strange, she's a little bit set back

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compared to the sea nymphs who really occupy more than a third of the canvas.

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STEVEN: Okay, so I think we've made the point that it's completely over the top,

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but let's get really close and take a look at the paint. BETH: Okay

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STEVEN: So the painting is hung in such a way that it starts about four feet off the floor,

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so that we only really look up at the sea gods and nereids.

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In Rubens's characteristic handling of paint,

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there is just a tremendous sense of motion and energy.

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I am really struck by the beard and the grey hair

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of the sea god in the foreground.

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If you look directly under him

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you can see what look like a raw strokes of paint.

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There's a kind of energy a kind of facility that Rubens has.

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And then look at the coloration of the nereids.

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They are full of pinks and yellows and greens and blues.

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BETH: and look at all the foreshortening that is going on.

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There's a post that one of the Nereids is holding onto

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and tying a rope around that's moving into our space.

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That sea god that you talked about a moment ago

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reaches his hand back into space.

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Everything in the bottom of this canvas is in motion.

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STEVEN: I am particularly taken by the way in which their eyes are absoulutely alive

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with specks of white paint which become this beautiful reflective surface.

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You also see that in the pearls in the hair of the women,

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and then you see it in the drips of water that come off their body.

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Now these 24 canvases were, of course, not originally arrayed in the Louvre.

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They were in the Palace of the Luxembourg Gardens,

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which was, in fact, Marie de Medici's own palace and that was built to remind her of Florence.

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BETH: It's really fun to go from one to the other

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and read the story of these great moments of her life.