Sleeping Venus and Cupid 1630

Nicolas Poussin made this painting, "Sleeping Venus and Cupid," with oil on canvas. Think of the painting as a made thing, its material presence achieved through a carefully calibrated sequence of actions. The canvas support, painstakingly prepared. The slow layering of pigment, carefully modulated to achieve that soft, dreamy quality. The work represents not only an idealized vision of antiquity, but also the labor involved in its creation. And there is labor in the subject, too. Venus, we might say, is performing the task of being beautiful for the beholder. The little cupids are busy doing what cupids do, inciting desire. The other figures in the background are also clearly entwined in their own relationships. So, next time you look at an artwork, remember that it is not just an image, but a made object with a story to tell. A story about materials, making, and the complex social context in which it was created.