100 Great Artists

H9 4

16 12

1621

1624

162 4- 10

1629

16JO-4O

164 0-42

164 2_H

1 66f

NICOLAS POUSSIN

B()rn in Uf

A"'My<. "''' of /VI

<",·""din

/mpmd by J-a,.-in,

rtlllli" M~n",rifm

"'ltkr Lmlnnald

in Pari,

Trl1'.-,h to Ro,",

t-i" J""j",

Sm/" fJ"7mmnltly

in Rom,

O,-,n::, amiqui,j",

Painu

mytlxJlograJ ,,""'.

In/k""wl by

7l~'''n and

JffrJ~".

E.rp<rimmtJ ,;:itb

Baro'l'" ttyl<

MarTi« A"",,·

Mari" I)"r,/Nt

Painu biIT<ry

Jann Injlumad

by iIIa""gtlt1 and

Raph"'/

B"","" Frrncb

Cour, pain," to

L""" XIII.

R""",, to Rom,

Painu land""!,,,.

c"",i" .. " birtory

,~,

Hudrb d«ljnu,

OJ";,, RiH"'

The Sh'1'he rus of A...,.~di. (dn"if) (/6J8)

in ,b, mid_/6 la., Pourrin ,rpJlJr,d ,b, "."'} of Rapha.l, Roman

armi,,,,,,,". tmd u,,;n hoohon m<Kal ronduct. Fm," tb", b. aoopud til.

pUn!, d",ricai it/iom ,bat b, ""J for ,b, m' if bi, lifo. Tb, ,muip,jon 'Et in

Art':I.<h ego' IT a q_a,jon fr"m Ib, Lvin p<x' Virgil Pou"in "",itlik '"

!bal 'hff, i, "" "al!" from d,",b, n'''' in lb. paim '::orld of Ar",t/ill

N

,rolH )'()us",n fonlluiated the

Pr<C<lltS of French d~."c~1 .nd

~eade,,"e art In the belief that.

through his art he ,,~d "pic, nohie .nd ,~jrring

nics. He undenook historical re",.reh

""po",ibly, mining himself in ~rehacokJgy .nd

p'inting sh ould ~,,'u'" a r .. ional .nd the study of co,ns, .nd c~refully checked

in tel le<1u.1 "'spoo'" in the ,i ..... ·er, not mere the. uthenticity of ell',,},thi ng. lie ontt w")le

plu'ure. Ilis "'ther .UStere, .uthoritati,'e in. letter: 'I.m ~"ttd by my n"ure t"w.rds

'l'p<o.ch to .nc;ent history .nd chssic,1 the'Hlleriy."

mythology innuenced I" inting .. far .. the As. p,inter, Poussin worked pro<ligiou sly

ni neteenth century, and mOst French .rtistS hatlt. ~nd ",.ched. highlyc", .. i", ~nd insp,ml

ftlJm D .. id to G un"". I"" '" in his mid·fc ... ics. lie ",..,strut1ed "". Iels

Poussin w .. ",·t l"nicuhrlyintcn:",,1 in the of wood .nd w"1x f"'Ill which he Ill.de

e,,'nlS ()( petS,..,alitie< of his tim" .nd the ,..,Iy prelimin.ry <le",hes, .nd only then did he stln

p,)(trlit he ,"'Wr ,lid w ... of him",lf. N,,, waS he Iniming. lie 00",,,,,,,1 the ""ml1O';ti"".1 ''J'les

sJ"'llp,thetictothe"1rtisticfl<1iOflstl.tthell,und of M .. ntegn~ and R~ph~d, and turned to

in Rom". In his opinion, the ,\I.nncristS were Titi:.on for the stud), of nudes. Ilis htcr ,tudies

"' 0 aff<"",d .nd the N, tu",lislS wen:n't n:fin,,1 (}If Sun.«"t •• nd "1Oming in the Roman c.,,~"gn.

en<-.Jgh. I'oussin's gte:. t pISSio" w.s history, .,.1 .'" <ome of his IlUmlt .chi"l"mlL·rlts.