Landscape With St. John On PatmosEssay Preview: Landscape With St. John On PatmosReport this essayNicolas Poussin painted Landscape with St. John on Patmos in 1640. He is considered to be one of the most influential French artists of his era. When looking at the scene, it feels very peaceful; St. John the Evangelist looks very calm and relaxed. He was sent to the Greek island of Patmos for having his Christian beliefs. He is sitting right next to an eagle, which is a symbol of St. John. He is seen in the foreground writing down his visions of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. Around him are the remains of antiquity, which represent the fall of pagan beliefs. St. John appears to be deep in thought and in sync with the natural world around him. Poussin studied Neo-Stoic philosophy, which revolved around emotional self-control and the laws of nature. This is why there is so much order to the environment he created on the canvas.
In 1709 the French painter Paulin M. Hervé, who was the founder of the French Polytechnical Institute, proposed to build an art workshop to the ancient city of St Paul’s. This would be for religious education and art as well as a forum to discuss the problems and conflicts. His idea went far: “The present art building which is near St. Peter’s temple represents a philosophical retreat, a refuge for religious discussion, to which we have to take up the task of building, and then there is now a church, with the buildings for worship and practice, in which men can be themselves and a common object, or a state of being, which is for us the work of art and, above all, of love.” As he put it, “The art building is a refuge for the community in which it seems to be taking place and for the love for the people of God. We have seen a return to the work of art and the love that the people express with their love. When the community’s people return to the life of art and the worship with a common body that leads to their worship in union with it, this is the beginning of the art community, of art in itself.” For the rest of his life Nicolas and the other artists worked alone through the night at the church. There was no religious community or place where they would spend the afternoon. Instead, they became separated and were separated again. As early as 1721 the artist Saint-Jean-Michel, who went on to become renowned for his work on St. Peter’s statue in Constantinople, had been imprisoned and tortured. The painting was found abandoned by the local church. It is said that if he had had the chance to draw one of his works with a brush, he would have made it “beautiful and perfect, with its delicate and wonderful form of beauty, so delicate and beautiful, that the whole painting would become a mere piece of paper. It has been told by the monks that the picture was put under the care of the nuns, so they had to pay to remove the pieces.” For M.Hervé, the painting was “a great discovery.”
Poussin and the Paris Exhibition of 1845
Paulin M. Hervé is the greatest proponent of his work and the most visible figure who created the first post-modern painting in Europe. After leaving his home in Paris in 1845, Hervé found work creating art in small towns. Most strikingly, Poussin was commissioned in 1852 to build a building for the city of St. John as the work of the year. It consisted of four different rooms, and each was equipped with a set of four mirrors, which illuminated the painting from a different angle. The artist’s work appeared on a canvas similar to the one seen and used by the church. On the canvas on which he painted the figure of St. John, he drew a circle with the figure of St. Joseph on it, drawing the line “the circle of the sun.” After that, he painted the figure of Mary on it.
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Poussin and the Paris Exhibition of 1845
Paulin M. Hervé is the greatest proponent of his work and the most visible figure who created the first post-modern painting in Europe. After leaving his home in Paris in 1845, Hervé found work creating art in small towns. Most strikingly, Poussin was commissioned in 1852 to build a building for the city of St. John as the work of the year. It consisted of four different rooms, and each was equipped with a set of four mirrors, which illuminated the painting from a different angle. The artist’s work appeared on a canvas similar to the one seen and used by the church. On the canvas on which he painted the figure of St. John, he drew a circle with the figure of St. Joseph on it, drawing the line “the circle of the sun.” After that, he painted the figure of Mary on it.
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starting at St. John and continuing in a clockwise direction to the remains and then on around the whole image.Nicolas Poussins painting is polychromy using many colors. There are the two primary colors, the blue sky on top and St. Johns yellow robe on the bottom, coming together to form green, the trees in the center. St. Johns warm colors stand out at the viewers eye, but are equaled out by the surrounding nature scene. The cool green and blue colors help set the relaxed natural feel to the painting. The light source appears to be coming from the upper left because of the value put on the colors.
When looking at the painting, it is unquestionably clear what one is looking at. It is a very naturalistic setting and approach. The proper use of light and shading puts everything into place. There is a large sense of stability, giving order to all of the objects. Poussin gives an excellent demonstration of depth. It is quite clear that St. John is sitting in the foreground, the trees and grass are in the middle ground, and the lake, hills, and sky are in the background. The natural world is shown to be very structural. Mans place fits in very nicely with St. Johns relaxed natural position.
There are a few different types of shapes and lines that are frequently seen through