Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun

Poussin's Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun from around 1658 depicts the giant hunter Orion, blinded by the jealous King Oenopion, striding through a vast landscape guided by the tiny figure of Cedalion on his shoulders toward the healing rays of the sun. The painting transforms an obscure myth from Lucian into a grand allegory of spiritual seeking, reflecting Poussin's late preoccupation with cosmic themes. Now at the Metropolitan Museum, it influenced landscape painting from Turner to contemporary artists.

The colossal figure of Orion strides through a misty, mountainous landscape that dwarfs all other elements. Poussin's atmospheric handling creates a palpable sense of dawn moisture while the carefully layered spatial recession guides the eye toward the rising sun on the horizon.