The Later Version of Nicolas Poussin's Achilles in Scyros

We are accustomed to think of Nicolas Poussin as a man of profound intellect and impressive dignity who led, according to Bellori, an eminently rational, well-ordered, and even severe life in Rome. His serious personality is reflected in the stately grandeur of his history pictures, allegories, and religious scenes. Even his bacchanals are rather sober and restrained. He is, in short, the peintre philosophe. While Poussin's sense of the profound is well known, his sense of humor is rarely discussed. Yet there are humorous elements in his art which relieve his high seriousness and offer revealing insights into his personality.