Cimon and Pero | Peter Paul Rubens | c. 1612 Andrea Mantegna Unlike the idealized love scenes

Unlike the idealized love scenes common in the 19th century

exuding a sense of malice and predation

while the figure's posture suggests introspection and a deep connection with the natural world

Flaming June (1895) by Frederic Leighton is a luminous portrayal of a young woman asleep on a marble bench

Cabanel lingers on its aftermath

Cimon and Pero | Peter Paul Rubens | c. 1612 Andrea Mantegna Unlike the idealized love scenesAbout the artwork: Peter Paul Rubens Cimon and Pero (c. 1612) dramatizes the ancient Roman tale of filial piety, where the imprisoned old man Cimon is secretly kept alive by the selfless act of his daughter Pero, who nurses him at her own breast. Rubens heightens the tension of the scene through his typically dynamic composition and voluptuous handling of flesh, contrasting the frailty of the starving father with the youthful vitality of the daughter.