Art history secrets at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts

Most of the time, all we see as viewers is the final artwork: the painting, the sculpture, the installation, that stands at the end of a long and difficult creative journey. The current exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts shines a light on what we usually don’t get to witness: the preliminary drawings artists create during their artistic process.

“Drafts, from Rubens to Khnopff” brings together sketches by art history greats such as Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, Belgian Surrealist René Magritte, and many others, spanning from the 15th to the 19th century. A fascinating glimpse into the different stages of the creation of a masterpiece, that often starts with a simple outline on a blank sheet, a wooden panel, or a piece of cardboard.

Cover image: Rik Wouters, Nude Sitting on the Edge of a bed (Sketch), detail.