Nicholas Poussin 1824

Curator: This is Étienne Frédéric Lignon's rendering of "Nicholas Poussin," now held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: What strikes me first is the incredible depth achieved through the shading—almost sculptural, but also strangely melancholic. Curator: Lignon's piece offers a window into Poussin's identity as constructed through artistic representation, reflecting the cultural values and the male gaze of the time. Editor: Absolutely. There's a certain romanticism, a brooding intensity, but maybe that's just the power of suggestion; I wonder if it hides more than it reveals about Poussin the man? Curator: Perhaps, or it's a reflection on the artist’s own socio-political placement within art history. Editor: In the end, it does speak to the enduring mystery of artistic genius.