The Baptism of Christ 1641 - 1642

Nicolas Poussin painted 'The Baptism of Christ' in the mid-seventeenth century. At this time, the institutions of the Catholic Church and the French monarchy were deeply entwined. Poussin was part of a cultural project to reinforce their shared authority. Here, Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist is presented in the calm and orderly style of classical antiquity. The landscape is rendered in a classical style, with architectural figures populating it. Christ's followers wait patiently on the banks, but with a composed dignity far removed from the poverty and suffering of ordinary life. It is as if the early Church were already a well-established institution. Even the dove representing the Holy Spirit is neatly framed by the tree behind. In understanding Poussin's work, historians look to the social structures that shaped his world. These could include the religious and political ideas that predominated in France and at the institutions that supported art and the artists working in the 17th Century.