Nicolas Poussin and Thomas Cole are two well-known artists, living and producing work during different time periods. Poussin was an artist who emphasized and relished in his works around the ideas of classical rationalism and antiquity working often with historical referencing and mythology. In his painting "The Burial of Phocion," he depicted a time in history representing civilization in a vast landscape. Thomas Cole was an artist of the Romanticism period who was notable for his outdoor adoration. In "The Oxbow," he emphasizes the wide landscape of America as a prevailing area for civilization. Both the "Oxbow" and "The Burial of Phocion" depict the contrast between man and nature through prominence of on going civilization. .
Nicolas Poussin's "The Burial of Phocion," is a 1648 landscape painting from the French Baroque Era. Poussin didn't focus on geography of a picture but more of a characterized noble theme. This painting is sometimes referred to as "The Funeral of Phocion." The elements of the painting are influence by the era in which the painting originated, with much opinion put on representation and conformity of time and action. Phocion was an Athenian general who was prosecuted for false treason and denied entombment in the city. The image is contrasting the beautiful city and landscape in which he protected and the shame in which he receives as he is leaving. This is revealed on the foreground where there are two men carrying Phocion out of the city. The midground and background project the idea that even with a funeral taking place society goes on with everyday life. The shame continues to be prevalent throughout the layout of the painting. Two barricades entrap the city that the body has just left leaving them secluded from it; this is sought to be representative of the general who faced a desolate death. The great depth and linear perspective Poussin portrays in this work allows great archaeological depth and insight.