The dispute between Poussinists and Rubenistes, was ultimately not only about the form and style of painting, but also about the philosophical or political connotations that had risen in light of the discourse regarding neoclassicism and romanticism, which is, if simply defined, the distinction between the prevalence of reason and that of emotion. Throughout this paper, I plan to inspect the idea of artistic competition in art history, using the example of one of the largest artistic competitions that took place in the mid-1800s in France: the controversy between the Poussinists and Rubenistes, between those who advocated for the precedence of drawing and sketch and those who argued for the rule of color. By looking at the ‘formal’ aspects
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Nicolas Poussin
"My temperament compels me to look for and take pleasure in well-ordered things. I avoid confusion, which is contrary and opposed to my nature, just as light is opposed to the darkness of night,", Poussin articulates the primacy of “classicist” ideals through his paintings, such as linearity and order. A leading painter of his time, Poussin was one of mostly incorporated Greek or Roman approaches to the subjects in his painting. In St. John Baptizing the People (1630-1639) (Figure 1), which is currently exhibited at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Poussin reflects this stable frieze-like landscape, in a direct reference to ancient roman times, carefully placed and framed within the cloisters of delicately contrasting layers of nature—he derives this creation from the long-present tradition of classical Roman and Greek art, the tradition of order, reason and tuneful clarity. These frieze-like compositions, where the figures are grouped together on the painting’s foreground, are a recurrent theme …show more content…
Rubens' forms are expressed through color rather than line. In all formal elements, volumes, planes—even space, he utilizes gradations of colors. “The large planes are first united in solid colors corresponding to the compact forms; then a refined orchestration of colors produces a more intensely harmonious expression; the tonalities are multiplied and mingled; half-tones die into transparent nuances; delicate shadows tremble with lights.”, this is evident in his The Garden of Love (1610) (Figure 2) where Rubens portrays an idyllic representation of matrimonial romanticist figures; using figures of cupids and mythological characters. In the background, the sculptures of the three Graces and of Venus represent marital happiness and compositional harmony. This exemplifies his genius in the application of color, and in the coming years, would be what the Rubenists would advocate for, through their works—an example of that would be Watteau, exemplified through Embarkation for Cythera (See Figure
Nicolas Poussin
"My temperament compels me to look for and take pleasure in well-ordered things. I avoid confusion, which is contrary and opposed to my nature, just as light is opposed to the darkness of night,", Poussin articulates the primacy of “classicist” ideals through his paintings, such as linearity and order. A leading painter of his time, Poussin was one of mostly incorporated Greek or Roman approaches to the subjects in his painting. In St. John Baptizing the People (1630-1639) (Figure 1), which is currently exhibited at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Poussin reflects this stable frieze-like landscape, in a direct reference to ancient roman times, carefully placed and framed within the cloisters of delicately contrasting layers of nature—he derives this creation from the long-present tradition of classical Roman and Greek art, the tradition of order, reason and tuneful clarity. These frieze-like compositions, where the figures are grouped together on the painting’s foreground, are a recurrent theme …show more content…
Rubens' forms are expressed through color rather than line. In all formal elements, volumes, planes—even space, he utilizes gradations of colors. “The large planes are first united in solid colors corresponding to the compact forms; then a refined orchestration of colors produces a more intensely harmonious expression; the tonalities are multiplied and mingled; half-tones die into transparent nuances; delicate shadows tremble with lights.”, this is evident in his The Garden of Love (1610) (Figure 2) where Rubens portrays an idyllic representation of matrimonial romanticist figures; using figures of cupids and mythological characters. In the background, the sculptures of the three Graces and of Venus represent marital happiness and compositional harmony. This exemplifies his genius in the application of color, and in the coming years, would be what the Rubenists would advocate for, through their works—an example of that would be Watteau, exemplified through Embarkation for Cythera (See Figure