The artwork “Apollo and Daphne” was crafted by Nicolas Poussin in 1625. It is an oil on canvas that measures 97 x 131 cm and is currently housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. This piece exemplifies the Classical art movement and portrays a mythological theme.
In the artwork, the drama and emotion of the myth are palpable. The central figures are Apollo, the god of light, music, and poetry, and Daphne, a nymph who is the daughter of the river god Peneus. The dynamic composition captures the moment when Apollo, having been struck by Cupid’s arrow causing him to fall in love with Daphne, reaches for her. But Daphne, who has been struck by a leaden arrow that repels love, flees to avoid Apollo’s advances.
The urgency and desperation of the chase are rendered through vigorous movement and the use of strong diagonals that draw the viewer’s eyes across the canvas. Daphne is shown in the midst of transformation, her skin starting to bark as she turns into a laurel tree, which was her plea for escape from Apollo’s grasp. This metamorphosis marks the apogee of the scene with Apollo’s outstretched hand almost touching her.
Elements like the hovering figure of Cupid and the onlooking figures, who seem to react with various degrees of interest and concern to the unfolding event, provide additional layers of narrative and emotional depth. The use of chiaroscuro and the rich, earthy palette imbibes the scene with a sense of drama that is typical of Poussin’s approach to mythological subjects.
Overall, the artwork is imbued with a classical sense of beauty, order, and rationality, despite the tumultuous event it depicts, making it a quintessential piece within the oeuvre of Nicolas Poussin and an esteemed example of 17th-century classicism.
