Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) presided over one of the most dynamic artistic workshops of 17th-century Europe, with drawing at the centre of his practice. For Rubens, draughtsmanship was a way of thinking: rapid pen sketches capture the first stirrings of complex compositional scenes, while chalk studies reveal his research into anatomical studies and his mastery of light and volume. The influence of classical sculpture on his art shows how he fused observation, memory and invention.