An interview with Guy de Compiegne for his new essay on Poussin

Guy de Compiegne has published in 2013 a remarkable essay, Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden Masters. In his latest book available mid-March 2015, “Nicolas Poussin, l’ambiguité recherchée” (Nicolas Poussin, in search for ambiguity), the architect and Poussin researcher continues his quest through an interpretation of ambiguous details requiring the reconsideration of the primary subject. As we … Continue reading An interview with Guy de Compiegne for his new essay on Poussin

An interview with Guy de Compiegne about his essay on Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese Garden Masters

Guy de Compiegne is an architect fascinated by Poussin and by the Japanese gardens. His book, The Visual Path – Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden Masters, which has just been released, is an original and brilliant approach of Poussin’s work. We met him in order to talk about this essay, published by the Varulv editions. … Continue reading An interview with Guy de Compiegne about his essay on Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese Garden Masters

The Visual Path – Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden Masters

The Visual Path – Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden Masters

Guy de Compiegne, Varulv editions, 2013 Watch Guy de Compiegne presenting his book (in French) at The Tuileries Gardens bookstore, on June 5th 2014. The painting of Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden of Zen Buddhism have always been and are still, independently, a source of fascination. To elaborate the ideal landscape, Poussin and Zen masters use … Continue reading The Visual Path – Nicolas Poussin and the Japanese garden Masters

The Four Seasons or The course of History – painted for the Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

The Four Seasons or The course of History – painted for the Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

The Louvre Museum, Richelieu wing, 2d floor, room 16 Les Quatre Saisons constitutes a synthesis of Poussin’s late style: in a setting emphasising the beauty of nature, the theme of the succession of the seasons merges with that of hours, periods of human life; the biblical narrative combines with classical mythology in a synthesis between … Continue reading The Four Seasons or The course of History – painted for the Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

Spring or The Earthly Paradise – painted for the 2d Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

Spring or The Earthly Paradise – painted for the 2d Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

The Louvre Museum, Richelieu wing, 2nd floor, room 16 Oil on canvas, 117 x 160 cm According to Félibien, this canvas was painted for the Duke of Richelieu (nephew of the cardinal) between 1660 and 1664. Also called Le Paradis terrestre (The Earthly Paradise) or Adam et Ève dans le Paradis terrestre (Adam and Eve … Continue reading Spring or The Earthly Paradise – painted for the 2d Duke of Richelieu (1660-1664)

Gaspard Dughet – His life and work (1615-1675)

Gaspard Dughet – His life and work (1615-1675)

Marie-Nicole Boisclair, Éditions Arthena, Association pour la diffusion de l’Histoire de l’Art [Association for the diffusion of the history of art], 1986 Preface by Jacques Thuillier “This is the first book dedicated to Gaspard Dughet, one of the greatest landscape artists of the 17th century. Or rather the first work which dares to study his … Continue reading Gaspard Dughet – His life and work (1615-1675)

Gaspard Dughet called Gaspar Poussin 1615-75

Gaspard Dughet called Gaspar Poussin 1615-75

Catalogue of the exhibition at the Kenwood House of Hampstead, London, Published by the Greater London Council (GLC), 1980 A French Landscape painter in 17th century Rome and his influence on British art. “The brother-in-law of the great classical painter Nicholas Poussin, he was with Claude Lorrain the other member of that triumvirat of Frenchmen … Continue reading Gaspard Dughet called Gaspar Poussin 1615-75

Poussin and Nature – Arcadian visions

Poussin and Nature – Arcadian visions

Collective work, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2008 Exhibition catalogue by Pierre Rosenberg The work of the great French painter Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) is most often associated with classically inspired settings and figures depicting solemn scenes from mythology or the Bible. Yet he also created some of the most influential landscapes … Continue reading Poussin and Nature – Arcadian visions

Landscape in painting in the modern West

Landscape in painting in the modern West

Alain Mérot, published by Éditions Gallimard, 2009 How did the landscape known to this day as “classical” come into being? What was behind the rise and fall of this ideal form in Western European culture in the modern age? Initially considered minor and decorative, it gained independence and dignity through the careful study of nature, … Continue reading Landscape in painting in the modern West

Claude Gellée, known as Claude or le Lorrain (circa 1600-1682) – Painter

Claude Gellée is a painter from Lorraine who moved to Rome in 1615 to learn the traditional craft of Lorraine: baking. After arriving in Rome, he was first a cook for painter Agostino Tassi who, when he discovered his gift for painting, decided to teach him the basics. Influenced by the landscapes of Annibale Carracci, … Continue reading Claude Gellée, known as Claude or le Lorrain (circa 1600-1682) – Painter

Gaspard Dughet (1615-1675) – French painter

One of the most talented landscapists of Rome Gaspard Dughet (also known as Gaspard Poussin, Gaspar Poussin, or The Guaspre) was born in Rome in 1615 and in 1630 became the brother-in-law of Nicolas Poussin who married his sister, Anne-Marie Dughet. Son of Jacques Dughet, the French baker who released Nicolas Poussin from hospital when … Continue reading Gaspard Dughet (1615-1675) – French painter

Landscape with Abraham and Isaac (1665)

Landscape with Abraham and Isaac (1665)

The painting by Gaspard Dughet which corresponds to this engraving, which is today on display in the National Gallery in London, is thought to have belonged to Prince Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. Below are the details of the engraving: Another engraving of the Landscape with Abraham and Isaac, by John Pye : Below are the details … Continue reading Landscape with Abraham and Isaac (1665)

Landscape with the Basilica of St John Lateran

Landscape with the Basilica of St John Lateran

Landscape engraved by Lemercier. Another engraving was executed by Jean Baptiste Claude Chatelain in 1742, viewable on the British Museum website, with this description: “Landscape with two figures in the foreground, with one walking on a road and waving to a man lying by the roadside, at left; beyond woodland on the left, and river … Continue reading Landscape with the Basilica of St John Lateran