Poussin and the construction of antiquity

Collection d’histoire de l’art, Académie de France à Rome (History of art collection, French Academy in Rome) – Villa Médicis – Marc Bayard, Elena Fumagalli et al. – Published by Somogy Éditions d’art, 2011

Nicolas Poussin developed an imaginary view of antiquity by gathering sources both visually (engraving, architecture, sculpture) and in literature, and his letters, like his works, bear the indelible stamp of ancient thoughts and patterns.

The artist’s pictorial creation had already been contemplated from many different angles. His relationship with France and Italy, the different themes used in his paintings and the representation of nature are among the subjects analysed by the experts. This publication is intended to make the point more specifically on the relationship between Poussin and antiquity. It offers an insight into ancient Roman culture in the 17^th century against a backdrop of care to ensure that Poussin-esque creations were thought of as a factory where different experiments come together, as well as texts from contemporary knowledge of ancient art. One of the driving forces behind this publication is to show that in fact Poussin’s work does not merely fit in to a logic of borrowing and influence, but also to a practice of assembly, distinctive to the work of the workshop.

By entering into the artist’s creative process, the work seeks to capture his working method, between the ancient models available and the uses that come up time and again in his work. Lastly, it considers the perpetuity of this unique method of Poussin’s for representing antiquity.