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Chasity
Janet Clarke Art and Theory in Baroque Europe February 18,
2003
Classicism in Poussin’s Rape of the Sabines The seventeenth century
French artist, Nicolas Poussin, exhibits the diversity of his classicizing
style in two versions of the Rape of the Sabines. The term classicism is recognized as a
deep appreciation of antiquity or the culture that arose around the Greeks
and Romans. In art, it is often tied
to such aspects as balance, clarity, and harmony of composition extolled in
ancient Greek and Roman art which later artists valued. However, there is great variety not only
among what is considered a classicizing work, but also variety in how an
individual artist can manipulate certain classical aspects. He is working at a time which makes it
necessary for him to balance the influences of the Baroque style with the
admiration for the classical. As he
grows as an artist, Poussin illustrates his masterful and varied use of
classicizing techniques in his two versions of The Rape of the Sabines. Nicolas Poussin is one of
the finest examples of classicizing artists, but was not afraid to experiment
with his forms. “Contrary to
sixteenth century classical theory, and in spite of his admiration for
classical sources, Poussin does not apply ideal proportion to his figures or
seek, following Ficino’s Convito, regular features as perfect beauty.” Poussin’s first concern is
expression. Although Poussin did not
follow the ideals of classicism perfectly, the harmony of his work does
follow the writing of Alberti. (Arikha, 6)
He struggled to create works that revealed the expressive emotion of
the Baroque style, but maintained the clarity of classical works. “The development of his art towards this end was focused on the search for
a point of equilibrium and synthesis between the forces of the Classical and
the Baroque around which most critical debate in Rome was concentrated during
the 1630s”. (Grove Art) He was an
artist working at the time when there was a strong admiration for the
classical, but a Baroque mindset was emerging. Nicolas Poussin exhibits the tension between aspects of both
Classicism and the Baroque in his two versions of the Rape of the Sabines. The subject of his two paintings is based on a well-known historical event. Not only was his style of painting highly influenced by classical sources, but even the subject matter is derived from antiquity. The Sabines were an ancient group of people who lived northeast of Rome, eventually integrating with the Romans.(Encyclopedia Britannica) The group of Roman soldiers and outcasts, which primarily made up the community, could not convince other areas to give them some of their own women to populate their new city. Romulus who was the leader of the Romans was forced to trick the Sibines into coming. “He invited the neighboring Sabines to a consualia, consisting of games and sacrifices in honor of a newly discovered sanctuary of Neptune”. When the group arrived, Romulus raised his mantle giving the solders the signal to capture the Sabine women. The Sabine men escaped, but would soon return to recapture the matrons of their city.(Friedlaender, 142) The Sabine warriors came to liberate the women from the Roman forces, but the women pitted themselves between the two and begged them to not battle.(Encyclopedia Britannica) Because of the fact that the abducted (“raped”) Sabine women became the mothers of the Roman patricians, this crime became an heroic act for the Romans”.(Arikha, 14) This theme was very popular throughout the time of the Roman Empire, but was seemingly forgotten during the middle ages only to reappear once again in the fifteenth century on wedding cassoni. During the sixteenth century, it became general iconography for many artists.(Arikha, 15) Bellori
notes that the work was done for Cardinal Aluigi Omodei. (Arikha, 12) Poussin created two similar scenes of the
theme of the Rape of the Sabines. One
is at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (See Image 1), while the other
version is housed at the Louvre in Paris, France (See Image 2). Art historians differ in their analysis of
the order in which the two versions were created. The two seem to have been done between 1634 and 1639, but there
is much debate over which was actually first.(Arikha, 8) Regardless of the date for the two works,
they have been highly influential to other artists, being copied by
many. Etienne Baudet and Degas (See
Image 3) both created their own versions of the subject based upon the
originals by Poussin. It cannot
always be determined however which version was the source of inspiration for
those who copied the subject.(Arikha, 20)
Regardless, Poussin has been a great source of classicizing art to
many artists who followed him. Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
The
two versions are so strikingly similar it is hard to detect differences
immediately, but there are several key components which distinguish the
variety of Poussin’s play with classicism. “The two versions of The Rape
of the Sabines seem in fact to have been painted at different periods; in
spite of the similar dimensions, they differ in conception as well as
execution”.(Arikha, 8) The
version at the Metropolitan Museum is stark in comparison to the Louvre
version. In the New York version, “he
closed off the background completely and designed the architectural elements
parallel to the picture surface”.(Friedlander, 106) The New York version also has fewer figures and generally
conforms to the classical ideal better.
This version is very similar to Giovanni da Bologna’s bas-relief at
the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence as well as a painting by Pietro da
Cortona (See Image 4), both depicting the same subject.(Arikha, 12). In the New York version, “the groups are
clearer, more separate in space, and the famous group of Roman soldiers lifting
a Sabine woman closely resembles one of Leonardo’s tiny illustrations of
Hercules and Antes”. Through this
compositional placement, Poussin is trying to balance or regulate the violent
emotions in the scene.(Friedlander, 52)
The figures in Poussin’s New York version are also taller and more
vividly painted. The greatest
difference between this version and Cortona’s is that Poussin has inserted a
passion and drama that was lacking in Cortona’s work. The comparison
illustrates the division between the Baroque and French Classicism. While Baroque influences can be seen in
Poussin’s work, he was not to become a Baroque protagonist artist like Pietro
da Cortona.(Friedlaender, 32) Image 4
The Louvre version by contrast is marked by complexity of
composition and seems much more Baroque.
Like in his Plague of Ashdod (See Image 5), Poussin is grouping
the figures according to their passions and actions.(Friedlaender, 52) The figure of Romulus is also different in
this version as he appears to be more an officer while in the second version
he is much more ceremonial.(Friedlaender, 144) The complexity of composition in this work more closely
resembles The Capture of Jerusalem by Titus.(Arikha, 12) Besides these important differences, there
are many notable similarities between the two versions including many
important classically derived sources. Image 5
There
are many important and well-known visual sources for the imagery found in
Poussins’ works. Not only is the
subject itself drawn from antiquity, but many of the images in the work also
come from classical sources. In the
two versions, Poussin worked diligently to design an accurate architectural
setting reminiscent of a Roman forum. He painstakingly researched the
architectural forms, such as in the works by Serlio, before creating the
setting.(Friedlaender, 21) The
background found in the Rape of the Sabines is derived from the Temple
of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (See Image 6).(Arikha,19) Other art historians have pointed to the Temple
of Neptune (See Image 7) as the source for much of the
architecture.(Friedlaender, 144) This
makes sense in the context of the legend of the event itself. The Doric order of the temple contrasts
greatly with the houses which are reminiscent of Sebastiano Serlio’s Tragic
Scene (See Image 8). Daniele
Barbaro’s writing of his Vitruvius translation is the source for the
colonnades. Romulus is the figure
elevated above the chaos standing with his left hand raised. This image is taken partly from the Apollo
Belvedere(See Image 9) and Augustus Cesar. The two figures standing behind Romulus
represent two senators and are derived from other antique busts. The Sabine man running to the right of the
canvas is from an antique tragedy mask.(Arikha, 19) Gaul Killing Himself and His Wife (See Image 10)
is another image used by Poussin which was drawn from an ancient
source.(Friedlaender, 19) He would no
longer use specific works from the past after his visit to Paris in 1642. From then on he was so well versed in the art
of the ancient past that he could invent his own classical
forms.(Friedlaender, 20) Image 6
Image 7
Image 8
Image 9
Image 10
The
two works are excellent example of Poussins devotion to the study of the
classical. The subject matter,
sources of figures, and costume all reflect his concentration on the antique
rather than the current day.(Oberhuber, 40)
The Plague of Ashdod and both versions of The Rape of the
Sabines are remarkable works which illustrate the artists new
approach. “Up till then, his
compositions were essentially linear, and the figures placed more or less
parallel to the picture plane, or set one about the other, as in The
Martyrdom of St Erasmus” (See Image 11).
However, his work completed after 1630 reveals a mastery of the
principles of Alberti.(Merot, 193) Image 11
Poussin maintains a wonderful sense of classicism while balancing the emotions of the Baroque in his two versions of The Rape of the Sabines. The two versions serve as a great examples of a classical subject matter handled in a very classicizing manner, but with an extreme importance given to expression and emotion. “Anthony Blunt, after a lifetime studying the intellectual content of Poussin’s art, characterized him as ‘a pure example of the Christian Stoic’, who lived in harmony with both nature and reason”.(Grove Art) He was an artist who certainly displayed his appreciation for classical reason, but also intended to make his canvas seem like a theatrical stage. Poussin challenged himself to capture the pleasing qualities of classical art while bestowing in his work a great sense of drama and passion. Works Cited Arikha, Avigdor. Nicolas Poussin: The Rape of the Sabines. Museum of Fine Arts: Houston, 1983. Friedlaender,
Walter. Nicolas Poussin: A New
Approach. Thames and Hudson: London, 1966. Merot, Alain. Nicolas Poussin. Abbeville Press Publishers: New York,
1990. Oberhuber,
Konrad. Poussin: The Early Years
in Rome. Hudson Hills Press: New York, 1988. “Poussin, Nicolas”. The
Grove Dictionary of Art Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 6 February 2003),
<http://www.groveart.com> "Sabines." Britannica
Student Encyclopedia 2003 Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
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