cover image Poussin - The Early Years in Rome: The Origins of French Classicism

Poussin - The Early Years in Rome: The Origins of French Classicism

Konrad Oberhuber. Kimbell Art Museum, $65 (368pp) ISBN 978-1-55595-002-6

Father of classical French painting Nicholas Poussin went to Rome as a 30-year-old struggling artist in 1624. The years he spent there yielded an amazing variety of works, from naturalistic tree studies to sweet, Raphael-esque oils and monumental dramas bursting with the emotions of figures from myth and history. Bringing to light a feast of splendors, this volume by the director of the Albertina in Vienna shatters our preconceived notions of Poussin's art. With easy grace, Poussin captured the mobility of water, the play of light and shadow, as well as the impishness of cherubs reaching for butterflies. In Rome he discovered the rules of perspective, then broke them as he saw fit. His fiery Self-Portrait in red chalk marks a turning point, when Poussin realized that his destiny was not to be a grand decorator for princes or for the Church. This erudite, groundbreaking study accompanies an exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Tex. (Nov.)