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Why did a critic call Nicolas Poussin the Raphael of the century?
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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 1650, a critic described Nicolas Poussin as "the Raphael of our century" because he had reached the most Classical phase of his artistic career.1
By the 1630s, Poussin had moved away from the sensuous, color-rich style of Venetian art to adopt a severe, cerebral, and rigorously ordered approach. This transformation was heavily influenced by his study of ancient sculpture and the works of Raphael, the preeminent master of the Renaissance. Poussin’s commitment to this idealized, rational style—characterized by narrative clarity, historical accuracy, and a disciplined use of line—led him to be viewed as a modern successor to the classical tradition established by Raphael.2341