Leseprobe

109 Nicolas Poussin Les Andelys 1594–1665 Rome The Realm of Flora 1631 Oil on canvas; 132×181.4 cm Acquired in Paris in 1715 Gal. no. 719 In this picture Poussin unites several figures from the Metamorphoses of the ancient Roman poet Ovid. The core theme of Ovid’s mythological epic is passion, which results in a miraculous transformation. The Realm of Flora shows figures who, upon dying, were metamorphosed into flowers. To the left of the dancing goddess Flora, is Narcissus, staring lovingly at his reflection in a jar of water. And narcissuses are indeed starting to bloom beside the jar on which the nymph Echo has placed her hand. Behind Narcissus reclines Clytie, abandoned by Apollo and transformed into a sunflower. Her longing gaze follows the chariot of the sun as it crosses the sky. To the right of Flora are two beautiful young men: Adonis (whose blood, dripping from the hunting wound, blossoms into an anemone) and Hyacinth from whose head blue hyacinths sprout. A pair of lovers lies before them: Crocus and the nymph Smilax. She is being metamorphosed into a bindweed vine, he into a crocus. Just outside the circle stands Ajax, a hero of the Trojan War, falling on his sword. A carnation blossoms at his feet in his moment of self-slaughter. The painting was commissioned by the Sicilian nobleman Fabrizio Val- guarnera, who was in Rome in 1631. Poussin has chosen bright, intense primary colours for the robes and, with his emotional figures and varied poses, has made love, death, and the mutability of all physical being the subject of his painting.  | iyw