Baroque Work

 

        Hello readers, unlike previous weeks it did not take me long to know what piece I wanted to write on as I have seen this one and have personal photos of this copy when I visited the Louvre museum last spring.  I did not know much about the painting as they only give a small piece of context in such a big building but thought it would be a good time to touch on it deeper now. 

The Abduction of the Sabine Women

By Nicolas Poussin




        With so many bight colors in the women's dresses and parts of a blue sky, it seems that it would be a colorful painting with happiness. Looking deeper into the painting there is a singular man high above everyone else and a mix of men that are holding the women and putting up a fight and it is more of a distress picture that does not give the same inspiration for an awe. The painting amplifies the Baroque style through its use of movement, theatricality, and strong contrast between light and shadows. 

    Poussin's The Abduction of the Sabine Women is an example of Baroque art that evokes emotion through dramatic composition, movement, and the use of color and light throughout. The painting captures the legendary moment when Roman men who were under the orders of Romulus, abduct Sabine women to ensure  the future of their civilization's growth. The chaotic scene has an overwhelming sense of urgency and struggle as it is filled with varied figures and expressive poses. The scene is packed with dynamic figures caught in moments of struggle and their gestures heighten the tension. The different composition also directs the viewers eye across the chaotic scene at all of the different me depicted. The gestures and vivid expressions heighten the emotional impact which makes me feel as a viewer the amount of tension and distress taking place during this event. The arrangement of figures and architecture elements with the colors chosen creates depth and balance reinforcing the moment.

    



    The painting is connected to the influence of royalty, as Poussin painted for patrons associated with the French monarchy who admired classical themes and historical narratives that reinforced ideals of power. Additionally, The Abduction of the Sabine Women reflects the expansion of the knowledge during the Baroque period, particularly in how Poussin applies the principles of anatomy, perspective and proportion to achieve realism and structure. The artist's intellectual approach to painting demonstrates and is intensified by the Baroque emphasis on movement and theatrically, bringing in the drama and passion as they were happening in real life. I do feel in a way that the style of Baroque and Renaissance could be compared in ways that lighting and emotion were used greatly in both, but at two different extremes as technique was mastered and heightened as time went on. Poussin painted this work during a time when European monarchies sought to reinforce their divine right to rule. He was known for his intellectual approach to painting, studying classical sculptures and using mathematical principles to construct balanced compositions. 



References: 

Perspectives, Painting. “The Abduction of the Sabine Women by Nicolas Poussin: An Analysis.” YouTube, YouTube, July 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhidVo7t91U.


French, Nicolas Poussin. “Nicolas Poussin: The Abduction of the Sabine Women.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437329.


Robinson, Ron. “Nicolas Poussin.” Artist Info, 2009, https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1798.html.




 

Comments

  1. What I really liked about your choice of painting is that although it presents bright colors interpreting positive affiliations there is a deeper hidden meaning. The connection with the relationship sounds like typical men behavior back than, however, connection with reality to power and unfairness from women to men. Reading more about this work in further translation it is interesting to know that these women were looked at as brides rather than captured humans.

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