Nicolas Poussin (Compatibility Mode)

Nicolas Poussin
(15 June 1594 Les Andelys – 19

November
1665 Rome)
Presented by:
Abhishek Iyer
Ananya Agarwal
Chaitanya
Dhruv Basu
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Life, Times and Works
• Nicolas Poussin was a French painter in the classical style.
His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order,
and favors line over color.
• Poussin brought a new intellectual rigor to the classical
impulse in art, as well as a unique, somewhat reticent poetry.
• His sensitivity to the nuances of gesture, design, color, and
handling, which he varied according to the theme at hand,
permitted him to bring a very focused expression to his art
and to create for each narrative a memorable and enduring
form.
• The wide range of his oeuvre includes scenes of subdued
tenderness, bacchic revelry, mourning, righteous civic virtue,
and other more difficult to identify states of mind or being.
• Nicolas Poussin's early biographer was his friend Giovanni
Pietro Bellori, who relates that Poussin was born near Les
Andelys in Normandy and that he received an education
that included some Latin, which would stand him in good
stead.
• Early sketches attracted the notice of Quentin Varin, a
local painter, whose pupil Poussin became, until he ran away
to Paris at the age of eighteen.
• There he entered the studios of the Flemish painter
Ferdinand Elle and then of Georges Lallemand
• After two abortive attempts to reach Rome, he fell in with
Giambattista Marino, the court poet to Marie de Medici,
at Lyon. Marino employed him on illustrations to his poem
Adone (untraced) and on a series of illustrations for a
projected edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses[2], took him
into his household,
Poussin’s Subject matter
• Some are themes of his own invention or subjects that no
previous artist chose to depict; frequently his paintings
carry a moral or philosophical message, or draw attention to
man's precarious position in the universe.
• They are inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, ancient
history, certain stories from the Old Testament, and—late
in his career—the seven Sacraments (The Confirmation,
from the series of The Seven Sacraments, Collection of
the Duke of Rutland, Belvoir Castle) conceived within the
early Christian church.
Et in Arcadia Ego orLes Bergers d’Arcadie-Late
1630’s
Et in Arcadia Ego
• "Et in Arcadia ego" is a Latin phrase that most famously
appears as the title of two paintings by Nicolas Poussin.
• They are pastoral paintings depicting idealized shepherds
from classical antiquity, clustering around an austere tomb.
• The phrase is usually interpreted as a memento mori -
"Even in Arcadia I exist", as if spoken by personified
Death.
• The shepherds and shepherdess in this painting (1630s) by
Nicholas Poussin have just come across a tombstone, on
which they read the inscription, "Et in Arcadia ego."
Adoration of the
Shepherds
1631-33
Early Years in Rome
• In Rome, his patron having died, Poussin, who lodged at first

with Simon Vouet. fell into great distress, with the
departure for Spain of his early patron Cardinal
Francesco Barberini and the Cardinal's secretary, the
antiquary Cassiano dal Pozzo, later a great friend and
patron.
• The return of Barberini from Spain in 1626 stabilized and
renewed the patronage of the Barberini and their circle
Two major commissions at this period resulted in Poussin's
early masterwork the Barberini Death of Germanicus.
The Death Of Geramanicus-1627
• Some critics consider The Death of Germanicus (painted
in 1627, in France, hanging in the The Minneapolis
Institute of Arts), Nicolas Poussin’s early masterpiece,
• The painting presents a linear, barelief-like scene with
several emotional pivots, all induced by the death of the
Roman general .
• Lying on the bed and enshrouded in white, he is immediately
recognized; the ghastly greenish tone of his face implies
poisoning, the most probable cause of death according to
historians.
• Heroic gestures and stoic facial expressions, including that
of Germanicus himself, decide the emotional current of the
central scene, where the general and his officers are having a
last words moment.
• the women and the children near the bedside are particularly
notable for adding a shade of naïve surprise (by the
children) and compassion.
• Two less forceful, though just as passionate scenes,
enframe the central act with poignant resignation and sorrow
– and diffuse the intensity in the center.
• Pikes play manifold roles in the composition. Bursting from
the single-block group of mourners, they resemble, as a
visual metaphor, solar ejections: the telling signs of the
tremendous heat and pressure within. On the other hand,
their sharp and edgy tips also become a sublimation of the
suffering below – and yet the same instruments deal and
bring death, the very same theme of the painting.
Rape of The Sabine Woman,Rome 1637-38
• Romulus was King of Rome 753-715 B.C. When grown
Romulus founded the city of Rome.
• There is another story about Romulus in the story of "The
Rape of the Sabine Women." It seems that Romulus needed
wives for the men who had joined his city.
• The Roman state had become strong enough to hold its
own in war with all the peoples along its borders, but a shortage
of women meant that its greatness was fated to last for a single
generation, since there was no prospect of offspring at home
nor any prospect of marriage with their neighbors.
• Then, in accordance with the decision of the senate,
Romulus sent messengers to the neighboring peoples to ask
for alliance and the right of marriage for the new people.
• All the Roman youths began to grab the women. Many just
snatched the nearest woman to hand, but the most beautiful
had already been reserved for the senators and these were
escorted to the senators' houses by plebeians who had been
given this assignment.
• The Romans drove off the men, and took the women for
their wives. The Sabine men did not give in so easily however.
There was war between the Romans and the Sabines led by
their king Titus Tatius.
• . It was the women who finally brought peace to Rome. They
persuaded their fathers not to fight their new husbands and
the Romans accepted Titus Tatius as joint ruler with
Romulus.
Tancred and Erminia-Early 1630s
• Shows an evolution from Poussin's early emulation of
Caravaggio to a return to classicism.
• Princess Erminia was a character in the epic poem La

Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso. In this tale she
falls in love with the Christian knight Tancred, and betrays
her people to aid him. Once she discovers that Tancred is
in love with Clorinde, however, she returns to join the
Muslims. She subsequently steals Clorinde's armor then
joins a group of shepherds.
• The name Erminia is sometimes given as "Hermine". It is

related to the name "Armina", the feminine form of
"Armand".
Poussin in France
• Louis XIII conferred on him the title of First Painter in
Ordinary.
• In two years at Paris he produced several pictures for the
royal chapels (the Last Supper, painted for Versailles, now
in the Louvre), eight cartoons for the Gobelins tapestry
manufactory, the series of the Labors of Hercules for the
Louvre, the Triumph of Truth for Cardinal Richelieu
(Louvre), and much minor work.
• In 1643, disgusted by the intrigues of Simon Vouet,
Fouquières and the architect Jacques Lemercier, Poussin
withdrew to Rome.
Helios and Phaeton with Saturn and the Four Seasons
Elements in Poussin’s works
Christianity
• In 1628, with Cassiano's help, Poussin received his only
papal commission. The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus,
painted for the Church of Saint Peter (now Vatican
Museums)—one of his largest and most Baroque
compositions.
• he set off in his own direction.
• Between 1633 and 1637 his subject matter shifted to the
pageantry of the Old Testament (Adoration of the Magi),
mythology (Bacchanals for Cardinal Richelieu, and ancient
history (Rape of the Sabines, two versions).
The Seven Sacraments-1630s
Double series - The first

series was commissioned by Cassiano del Pozzo in the second half of the 1630s and
was
sold to the Dukes of Rutland in 1784. One of the seven, "Penance", was destroyed in
a fire at the Rutland's Belvoir Castle in 1816, and "Baptism" was acquired by the
National
Gallery of Art in Washington DC in 1939.
• The darkness does two things:
 Shows the reality of a supper in
that time when there were no street
lights.
 Gives an ominous feeling to the
setting,
• Majestic yet solemn glow
emanating from the lamp.
• this was a foreshadowing of the
gruesome crucifixion about to
occur the next day.
• Christ is seated with a very royal
posture.
• Jesus' upright posture makes Him
stand out among the others.
• Judas is sneaking out on the left.
• Jesus had probably just announced that
He was about to be betrayed. Judas
sneaks out to get the job done.
• Poussin represents primarily the
institution of the Eucharist, but at the
same time reminds the spectator of
Christ's words: 'One of you shall betray
me'.
• The scene is set in a room of the utmost
simplicity, without ornament, and
articulated only with plain Doric pilasters.
• Christ has given the bread to the apostles
and is about to bless the cup.
• The Sacraments, a microcosm of Poussin's art, reveal his
working methods. It is known that he kept a small box rather
like a miniature theatre, in which he arranged wax models and
altered the lighting in order to help him with the layout of his
complex compositions. He then made numerous rough
drawings, trying out the compositions until the final solution
was reached.
• It is easy to see that all the interior scenes of the
Sacraments are arranged like a theatrical tableau, which
gives them their curiously static quality and enhances their
gravity.
The Gathering of Manna-1637-39
• Manna-food that God gave the Israelites during the
Exodus*(Old Testament).
*Exodus-The second book of the Old Testament: tells of
the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led
by Moses; God gave them the Ten Commandments and
the rest of Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus.
• Gathering of Manna is a large scale mythological painting
(hanging in Louvre Museum, Paris) that conveys the
dramatic force of the biblical divine act of the distribution of
the Manna.
• Poussin might have attempted to explore pantheistic and
holistic ideas (and ideals) of the relationship of all humanity
with God.
• Even the expressions
of surprise seem as a
matter-of-fact,
inevitable reactions; this
is a drama but not a
melodrama.
• Poussin credibly
anchors a divine act in
concrete reality and
action.
Seven Sacraments-Ordination 1636-40
The Lamentation of the Christ-1628-31
• The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in
Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque.
After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the
cross and his friends and family mourned over his body.
This event has been depicted by many different artists.
• Lamentation works are very often included in cycles of the

Life of Christ, and also form the subject of many individual
works. One specific type of Lamentation depicts only
Jesus' mother Mary cradling his body. These are known as
Pietà
Christ and the Women taken in Adultery-
1653
Baptism -1646
Virgin and the
Child
1625-27
Virgin
appearing to
St.James
1627-29
Landscape
• In the late 1640s and early 1650s, at the height of his
artistic maturity, Nicolas Poussin turned from historical
narrative to landscape painting. Landscape with a Calm
does not illustrate a story but rather evokes a mood.
• The ordered composition and clear, golden light contribute
to A Calm's utter tranquility, while glowing, gem-like colors
and fluid paint strokes enliven this scene of benevolent
nature.
• Poussin painted a pendant to this painting, Landscape with
a Storm, now in a museum in Rouen. Together their
contrasting weather effects embody nature's changing and
unpredictable relationship with man. Poussin painted these
works for the Parisian merchant Jean Pointel, a friend a
great collector of his landscape paintings.
Landscape-The Calm 1651
Landscape-A Storm1651
Landscape with a man Drinking-1637-40
Landscape with St.Jerome
Landscape with St.John on Patmos-1640s
Landscape with St.Matthew and the Angel-
1645
Landscape with ashes of Phocion collected by
his widow-1648
The Four Seasons-1594-1665
• The Four Seasons (fr Les Quatre Saisons) was the last
set of four oil paintings completed by the French painter
Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). The set was painted in
Rome between 1660 and 1664 for the Duc de Richelieu,
the nephew of Cardinal Richelieu.
• Each painting is an elegiac landscape with Old Testament
figures conveying the different seasons and times of the
day. Executed when the artist was in failing health suffering
from a tremor in his hands, the Seasons are a philosophical
reflection on order in the natural world.
• The iconography evokes the Christian themes of death
and resurrection.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
A Dance to the Music of Time, 1639
• Time (at the right of the painting, playing a lyre) makes the
music to which the four figures dance. The dancers have
been variously interpreted: as the four seasons, in their
endless round, or as four states of human life.
• Two putti (little cherubic figures) sit in the foreground: one

holds an hourglass, the other blows a bubble, indicating the
ephemeral character of happiness.
• The statue at the far left is Janus, the two-faced Roman

god.
Other works
The Plague of Ashdod--1630
Venus and Adonis
Triumph of David-1632-33
St.Peter and John healing the Lame man
Apollo and Daphne-1625
Echo and Narcissus-mid 1630
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Nicolas Poussin

(15 June 1594 Les Andelys – 19

• In Rome, his patron having died, Poussin, who lodged at first

• Princess Erminia was a character in the epic poem La

• The name Erminia is sometimes given as "Hermine". It is

Double series - The first

• Lamentation works are very often included in cycles of the

• Two putti (little cherubic figures) sit in the foreground: one

• The statue at the far left is Janus, the two-faced Roman

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