The Nurture of Bacchus
Nicolas Poussin·1624
Historical Context
The Nurture of Bacchus from around 1624 at the Louvre is among Poussin's earliest mythological subjects from his first years in Rome, showing the infant god being raised by nymphs after his rescue from the thunderbolt that killed his mother Semele. The infancy of Bacchus, concealed from Juno's wrath and raised in the secrecy of the forest, was a subject with a long tradition in ancient art and Renaissance decoration, and Poussin's early treatment shows him engaging with this decorative tradition while beginning to develop his more philosophical approach. Working in Rome from 1624 onwards, he was absorbing the full range of classical mythology from direct reading of ancient texts, and his early Bacchic subjects demonstrate the first fruits of this learning. His warm early palette, still influenced by Venetian colorism absorbed through prints and Roman collections, gives this pastoral mythology a sensuous warmth. The Department of Paintings of the Louvre holds this among its early Poussin works.
Technical Analysis
The pastoral composition groups nurturing figures around the infant Bacchus. Poussin's warm palette and fluid early handling create a scene of mythological pastoral tenderness.
Look Closer
- ◆The infant Bacchus is surrounded by nymphs in a sylvan setting, Poussin's early mythological landscape placing the divine infant in the world of nature.
- ◆The nymphs attending the infant are painted with the sensuous warmth of Poussin's Venetian-influenced early period — richer in flesh tone than his later work.
- ◆Grapes or vine leaves appear near the infant god even in his infancy — the plant attribute of Bacchus present before he is old enough to claim it.
- ◆The forest setting is lush and deep-shaded, contrasting with the warm bodies of the nymphs in a color opposition of green nature and warm humanity.
