How did Lessing distinguish painting from poetry in Laokoon?

In his 1766 treatise Laokoon, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing distinguished between painting and poetry based on their respective mediums: space and time.12

Lessing argued that because painting is a spatial art, it is restricted to a single, simultaneous moment. Consequently, the artist must select the most expressive or "seminal" moment in a sequence of events to ensure the viewer can contemplate the work with lasting pleasure.12

In contrast, poetry is a temporal art. Because it unfolds through a successive sequence of moments, it is uniquely equipped to depict movement, change, and the progression of an event over time. Lessing contended that the essence of poetry lies in this representation of the transitory rather than in static description. By defining these boundaries, he argued that each art form should restrict itself to the functions best suited to its specific medium.12