The Rape of the Sabine Women 1633-34.
Even though all the galleries are equally impressive,the gallery which i found most enjoyable was the European paintings wing. Artists from El Greco to Frans Hals are displayed. With all the famous masters represented in one room this is easily one the most awe inspiring collection of paintings I have ever seen. .
I enjoy the works of Poussin because they are aesthetically pleasing as well as informative. Poussin takes historical events from ancient Greece, Rome and the early Christian eras and applys them to contemporary political turmoils of his time.
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How can this particular piece not draw the eye of any viewer. At first glance The Rape of the Sabine Women looks like a big budget hollywood movie on pause. The figures which are inspired by helenistic sculpture, are completely frozen in time. There are several different focal points, but they all flow together in perfect harmony and unity. From Romulus (in the red cloak) giving the sign of attack to the elderly woman trying to escape being trampled,each figure has their own expression and each one of them has a story to tell. .
Poussin is known as the greatest French painter of his century and the greatest of the Baroque Era. His style is very Intellectual and painterly, very classic and timeless. Poussin believed that the highest aim of painting was to represent noble and serious human actions, shown in a logical and orderly way, not how they really happened, but how they would have happened if nature was perfect. He stressed Composition and Form as the most important. In France in the 1640's classicism was the movement and Poussin was the one who did the most to bring it out.
