Poussin and France: Painting, Humanism, and the Politics of Style

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Well-Researched, A Breath of Fresh Air!!
Review: I came across this wonderful book almost by accident as I was looking for something, ANYTHING, dealing with Poussin's ties to his native France (in more than a superficial way). The majority of books about Poussin deal, for admittedly good reasons, with Poussin's life in Rome where he lived and worked for many years. Still, it is amazing that Olson is, to the best of my knowledge, the first art historian to really explore the range of political and friendship-based (French) issues Poussin's paintings grappled with even as he lived in exile. As someone who is living in exile from my own native country, I can tell you, I continue to be deeply concerned about, and influenced by, the political news from home, and the information I receive in letters from friends. Certainly Poussin's experience was no different. I also appreciated that Olson took the time to spotlight the political work of women during the Fronde, and also his discussion of women's roles throughout the book as a whole. It is astonishing (well, maybe not) that within the Poussin scholarship with which I am familiar, women exist only as a (now) notable absence -- this despite the great number of strong women Poussin himself depicts in his work! Olson takes great first steps in rectifying this oversight. The book is well researched and I learned much about the social and cultural milieus Poussin operated within. Beyond this, I will say that the book was a pleasure to read -- especially having read a few books and essays on Poussin (by writers I will not mention) that were dry as aesbestos in the Gobi Desert. Olson weaves Beautiful Prose, Historical Accuracy and Intriguing Scholarship into an especially relevant account of this Great and Gifted Painter.