A small selection of his instantaneous narrative paintings drawn largely from Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, from 1630 to 1651.
Poussin
A worked example of Poussin’s instantaneous narrative shows how a single image can tell a story, and examples of the fall of Icarus show the importance of timing.
The great Thracian bard, and accomplished poet and musician, he could charm the animals with his lyre. But when he married Eurydice she died shortly after the ceremony.
Twenty-three scenes integrated into Memling’s Passion, nine into Tintoretto’s huge Crucifixion, and three into Poussin’s Gathering the Manna.
Difficult to cultivate, as it can’t self-pollinate and doesn’t breed ‘true’, it has still become a major food crop around the world. From blossom to market in paintings.
More challenging than figurative paintings, landscapes painted in the studio could avoid shadows altogether, or adopt other solutions to look right even if not optically faithful.
The son of Thetis, he was dipped in the water of the River Styx to make him invulnerable, apart from his left heel. He went missing from the thousand ships, when he went into hiding, but was recovered by Ulysses.
Trees play a major role in many of his paintings, particularly the holm oak. He models variation in colour and texture of bark and other subtle details, to set a high standard.
Born son of the King of Athens, the god Poseidon, and Princess Aethra, his first task was to find his father’s sandals and sword, and take them to Athens, where Medea tried to poison him.
A brief overview of the plot of Tasso’s epic, complete with links to all the articles, and a selection of the best of paintings.
