Heather Kilgore's Museum Visit

While attending the Kimbell Art Museum, located in Ft. Worth, TX in the Cultural District, I was overwhelmed by the culture and beauty around me. I walked through the several galleries taking in all the paintings and sculptures, while trying to apply all of my newly acquired art knowledge I’ve attained this semester. After walking through all the galleries and viewing great masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s first painting, The Torment of Saint Anthony, I chose to focus of French painter Nicolas Poussin’s painting Venus and Adonis, which was painted in 1628.
The painting is based off the mythological story of Venus and Adonis, from which have inspired numerous paintings, sculptures, and poems over the centuries. This is just Nicolas Poussin’s interpretation.
What first attracted my eye to the painting were the bright colors that contrasted with strong shadows. Both the upper right-hand and left-hand corners of the painting are in shadow, which form a triangular shape within the center of the painting that is emphasized even more by the triangular shape of Venus’ raised leg. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality, so it is fitting that the curves of her nude body are the major focus of the painting. A sense of asymmetrical balance is also established as each of the figures is grouped into pairs; Adonis and Venus, the cherubs, and even the doves and swans, which forms harmony to the viewer’s eye. Within these groupings, more triangular shapes can be seen within the two cherubs and the dog, creating an inverted triangle, the two cherubs on top of the gold chariot form a long sideways triangle with the figures in the dark clouds, and Venus and the two cherubs below her body to create the final triangle. In this way, Poussin is using implied lines to create geometric shapes which also add to the overall balance of the painting.
The lines used form a soft sensuality as the eye travels diagonally up Venus’ body towards Adonis. Perhaps Poussin chose to leave the whole of Adonis and Venus’ embrace and gaze of Adonis in shadow to allude to the tragedy of their love, as Adonis is soon killed by the very wild animals Venus warned him against hunting, according to the myth. The edges of the lines are soft and well blended into their surroundings which also help create an overall romantic feeling within the painting.
The colors primarily used in this painting are rich and intense shades of red and gold, which compose the central triangular shape of the painting that is most in the light. Therefore, the artist uses analogous colors, as shades of red, orange and yellow are next to one another on the color wheel, and this creates a warm and regal feeling to the viewer. The artist makes these colors stand out even more by once again, contrasting them with varying shades of gray and dark gold used to create the shadow effect. I feel the painting is rich in objects, whether it is nature or figure, to completely fill the canvas and space within the painting.
Overall, I feel Poussin’s work is a beautiful interpretation and depiction of the story of Venus and Adonis and utilizes the formal elements of art very well.