Michele Desubleo (Michel Desubleay, Maubeuge, 1602, - Parma, 1676 )
Diana and Apollo, 1635/1640
oil on canvas; inv. P 99, P 98
acquisition: museum purchase, 1988
Desubleo, a Flemish painter who came to Bologna sometime before 1636, was drawn to Guido Reni’s workshop and eventually became one of the master’s most acclaimed pupils.
In addition to showing Reni’s influence, Desubleo’s work, long undervalued by critics, was influenced by the style of Domenichino and of French painters working in this period.
As a result, his manner is a purist approach combined with the use of strong, bright colors.
The smooth, almost polished surfaces of the two canvasses on display, almost certainly intended as companion pieces, reflect the early training Dusubleo received in his homeland, thus it is likely that they date from the artist’s early years in Bologna.
