Artwork
Landscape with St Matthew and the Angel
Landscape with St Matthew and the Angel is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Nicolas Poussin. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Saint Matthew the Apostle seated outdoors, receiving divine inspiration from an angel.
The painting depicts Saint Matthew the Apostle seated outdoors, receiving divine inspiration from an angel. The bearded evangelist holds an open book, presumably the Gospel of Matthew, while the angel leans to assist or guide his reading, underscoring the theme of sacred authorship and revelation. The surrounding landscape, with its rolling hills, classical ruins, and atmospheric light, frames the scene within a timeless, idealized setting that elevates the spiritual encounter above a specific locale.
This composition reflects Poussin’s integration of human action with a harmonious, ordered nature, conveying the harmony between divine inspiration and earthly existence.
Technique & Style
Nicolas Poussin executed Landscape with St Matthew and the Angel in 1640 using oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 99 cm in height and 135 cm in width, classifying it as a religious landscape painting. The composition depicts the Apostle Matthew accompanied by an angel within a natural setting, integrating human figures into a broader scenic view.
As an oil painting from the mid-17th century, the medium allows for the detailed rendering of both the spiritual subjects and the surrounding environment, characteristic of Poussin's approach to the genre during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting Landscape with St Matthew and the Angel is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The work is currently located at the Palazzo Sciarra Colonna di Carbognano, which serves as a site for the museum's holdings. While the artwork dates to 1640, the provided records do not list a specific inventory number or detail any past exhibitions.
Overview
Nicolas Poussin's Landscape with St Matthew and the Angel, executed in 1640, presents a harmonious synthesis of religious narrative and idealized nature. The composition centers on the evangelist Matthew, seated on a stone ledge in the left foreground, who is visited by an angel guiding his hand as he writes the Gospel. The angel, draped in white robes with expansive wings, leans intimately toward the saint, establishing a focal point of divine inspiration.
This human interaction is framed by a vast, serene landscape featuring a winding river that recedes into the distance, flanked by lush trees and rolling hills under a luminous sky. Painted during Poussin's mature Roman period, the work exemplifies his classical approach to landscape, where the natural world is ordered and rationalized to reflect theological truths. The painting reflects the artist's shift toward a more structured, intellectual style, prioritizing clarity of form and balanced composition over the dynamic movement of his earlier Baroque works.
It stands as a significant example of 17th-century French classicism, demonstrating how Poussin integrated sacred subjects into a timeless, pastoral setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Poussin (UK: US: French:; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome.
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