Nicolas Poussin’s “Landscape With Orpheus And Eurydice” is an oil on canvas painting measuring 124 x 200 cm located in the Louvre in Paris. This painting, completed between 1650-1653, depicts the Greek mythological story of Orpheus and Eurydice as written in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The painting showcases an idyllic landscape that highlights Poussin’s mastery of the classical style.
One of the main themes depicted in this painting is the idea of human fortune and its cycle. The four seasons – labor, pleasure, riches, and poverty – are represented by different sections in the foreground. This cycle offers a broader insight into Poussin’s allegorical work.
Poussin painted “Landscape With Orpheus And Eurydice” for his longtime friend and patron Jean Pointel, who was a wealthy financier from Paris. Commissioned by Pointel himself during one of their conversations, this piece has become one of his most revered paintings.
