THE MAPPING IMPULSE AND THE ART OF NICOLAS POUSSIN

Like maps, cityscapes and landscapes represent our world; but unlike maps, these works of art do not usually serve any practical function. With particular reference to Svetlana Alpers's "The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century" (1983), this article argues that unlike the Dutch painters of the 17th century, Nicolas Poussin's paintings generally avoid any mapping impulse and treat the picture space as if it were a stage set, a place that we can look into but cannot imagine entering. Poussin applied this model even where we where we would not expect to find it in his landscapes. (Quotes from original text)