Nicolas Poussin, Storyteller

A painting of seven men in a semicircle formation around a baby, who lies in front of a seated woman. The men show various reactions, including kneeling and bowing. The scene takes place in a barn, with livestock close by and the baby resting on a pile of hay.

Nicolas Poussin, The Adoration of the Shepherds, ca. 1653. Oil on canvas. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of William T. Lapko and purchased with the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., Class of 1913, Fund

Join Théo de Luca, Ph.D. candidate, History of Art, for a discussion of two 17th-century paintings by the French-born, Rome-based painter Nicolas Poussin: King Midas Turns an Oak Branch to Gold (ca. 1625) and The Adoration of the Shepherds (ca. 1653), both held in the Yale University Art Gallery’s collections. Bringing these two works into dialogue reveals Poussin’s abilities as a storyteller and, more broadly, how artists turn stories into paintings. Completed 28 years apart, the two examples also provide an opportunity to appreciate how Poussin embraced different ways of painting throughout his life. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Lectureship Fund.

Gather by the Public Programs sign in the Gallery lobby. Space is limited.