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(1st Q) Poussin’s “Holy Family on the Steps (1648)” and Rubens’ “Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (c.1620)”, these two contrasting styles picture influenced to art of the late 18th – early 19th each way. Poussin’s “Holy Family on the Steps”, this is a classical style picture. The beautiful architecture is placed in the background. The architectures and sculptures are from Roman style. The human figures wear classic clothes with natural color. Sculpture relief is inclined to be a same plane. Horizontal and vertical lines tend to construct a mathematical formation. All human figures make a big triangle and each small group makes some small triangles in the big triangle. So the triangles create a balance compositionally. And two women look at each other diagonally. Two babies also look at each other diagonally, and they are a kind of precision in the composition. Synthetically, the picture is a stable, symmetrical and concise composition. And there is a stiff composition, even though some slight movement is appeared. Rubens’ “Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” is painted with the subject from Greek-Rome mythology. The composition is very different with the Poussin’s picture, briefly. One woman is twisting and the other woman is like airborne. Two women do not overlap. This scene likes chaos. Those movements make tensions and excitements. The power of movement is the salient traits of the picture. The picture’s brushstroke that seems to be his gesture of power on the canvas is heavy. The emotional feeling oozes through the powerful movement. Neo-classicism artist, David is coming out of Poussin. Delacroix is, who comes out of Rubens, the great leader of Romanticism. These 19th century styles, Neoclassicism and Romanticism, are based on 17th century. The two 17th-century styles tend to parallel each other to 19th century. And each style influences Neoclassicism and Romanticism, separately. Poussin is exemplified in classicism principles and static principles.
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