Nicolas Poussin (Attr.) (1594-1665),
Apollon et Pantheon, c.1650, oil on canvas, 47 5/16 x 61 1/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Millard H. and Georgiana Duxbury, 1965.
French artist Nicolas Poussin was born on this day in 1594. Poussin is considered the leading painter of the French Baroque period, painting large mythological and religious pieces, often accompanied with impressive landscapes. Often, the figures in his paintings are positioned like actors on a stage, allowing the viewer see all the action in the painting at once. Today's artwork is an example of one of Poussin's mythology paintings. For centuries, Poussin's work has inspired artists including Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Pablo Picasso.