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How did Nicolas Poussin combine figures and settings in The Judgment of Solomon?
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Nicolas Poussin
Adoration of the Golden Calf, oil on canvas by Nicolas Poussin, c. 1634. 153.4 × 211.8 cm.
In The Judgment of Solomon, as in other works from the late 1640s, Nicolas Poussin integrated his figures with their setting in a strict and uncompromising manner. This approach resulted in a composition that is conceived in depth while remaining highly unified across the two-dimensional surface of the picture.1
By balancing these visual tensions between spatial depth and surface design, Poussin created a scene that is considered one of the most austere and masterful examples of Classical art.1