Mention Rubens and many think of "A Dog of Flanders." At Bunkamura the Museum in Shibuya, Tokyo, the "Rubens: The Glorious Antwerp Workshop and the Italian Origins" exhibition (organized by The Mainichi Newspapers and others, open daily through the 21st) also displays a print related to it — "The Descent from the Cross"= photo upper.
The hero of "A Dog of Flanders" is Nero, a 15-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a painter. On Christmas Eve he loses an art competition. In the final episode, with nothing to eat and hope gone, Nero reaches Antwerp Cathedral in a blizzard with his dog Patrasche. Just as life's flame is about to go out, a shaft of moonlight breaks through the clouds; Nero sees the Rubens masterpiece he has long adored, is saved, and ascends in bliss — a scene that moved many to tears.
In the cathedral, Rubens's "The Elevation of the Cross"= photo lower left and "The Descent from the Cross"= photo lower right = face each other. The print of "The Descent" is reversed left and right from the painting.
At the Rubens exhibition, "A Dog of Flanders" goods were also sold. I was persuaded to buy a magnet= photo lower =.
