Milovanovic, Nicolas and Mickael Szanto (editors) — Poussin Et Dieu

Paris, Hazan / Musee du Louvre, 2015. Hardcover. Sage and color illus. glossy boards, 488 pp. many color illus. Text is in French. Issued in conjunction with a 2015 exhibition that explored the Christian dimensions of the art of French Baroque painter Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). With a variety of thematic and illustrated essays on the topic of "Poussin and God." The annotated and illustrated catalogue addresses 98 specific pieces, with many full-page and full-color views. Includes a chronology and bibliography. A stunning new reference and consideration of this artist. Translated abstract as follows: Official catalogue and album of the exhibition "Poussin and God" at the Louvre Museum from April 2 to June 29, 2015. Poussin is the greatest French painter of the 17th century. A figure of the "painter poet" inspired by Ovid or Virgil, a model of the "painter philosopher" imbued with ancient virtues, he is the author of a work with multiple resonances whose Christian dimension has been too often neglected, even contested. Painter of the Sleeping Nymphs and of the great moments of ancient history, the French master was also and above all the painter of the Gospels. Rethinking Poussin's painting in the light of religion allows us to bring a new perspective on the imaginative power of an exceptional artist, capable of mixing the profane and the sacred to better meditate on the mysteries of religion. On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the artist's death (1665), the exhibition at the Louvre aims to highlight the originality of Nicolas Poussin's sacred painting, a source of personal reflection on God. This catalogue, which reproduces many of his greatest masterpieces, aims to shed new light on his work according to three main orientations: the way in which the artist places himself in the context of the Catholic tradition resulting from the Counter-Reformation; the originality, even the audacity of his iconographic inventions, nourished by the source of the Scriptures and the exegesis of the Fathers of the Church, the artist going so far as to mix sacred and profane traditions; the centrality of the figure of Christ, often hidden behind subjects and characters from the Old Testament. The large religious formats are presented, which restore the monumental and spectacular dimension of Poussin's sacred work, but also the Holy Families, true icons of the Grand Siècle, which were one of the guiding threads of his art throughout his career. The importance of his Christian friendships is highlighted, through the portraits of his most fervent admirers, the Roman Cassiano dal Pozzo and the Frenchman Paul Fréart de Chantelou, both famous sponsors of the series of the seven sacraments. Painter of the Virgin and the sacraments of the Church, the artist was also able to develop in his painting, a section will be devoted to this theme, a meditation on the order of the world, the events of this world, the vicissitudes of human life, placed under the authority of divine providence. The last sections deal with the subjects of the life of Christ and Moses, omnipresent in Nicolas Poussin's late paintings. Finally, the meditative, even mystical dimension of his painting is evoked in the large landscapes executed at the end of his life. Co-published with the Louvre Museum editions. VG .