Adoration of the Shepherds

Nicolas Poussin is a French painter who did the Adoration of the Shepherds painting from 1633 to 1634. The art is currently available in the national gallery of London.

The artwork is made of oil on canvas with a known length of 97.2 x 74 cm. With the help of different artist like Raphael, Nicolas made some sketches and drawing that he used to guide him during the painting. Nicolas Poussin offers a clear picture of what was happening during the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in the wilderness. The focus of the image is the holy family where he cherishes shepherds. On the frontage of the roof, there is a display of five angels.

In the background, Nicholas illustrates the appearance of the angel as he came to the shepherd to announce the birth of Jesus. The art is elegant with perfect conservancy that is exceptionally unique in comparison with other Nicholas work. He paints the angel in a loosely white colour which appears on the blue sky over a basket of vine leaves. It seems to be in a sculptural quality that makes it's more appealing. He goes ahead and paints a female on a green dress that symbolises Mary mother of Jesus.

Finally, he shows a picture of the shepherds kneeling before Jesus. He uses the nativity of Raphael the Vatican Loggie to deliver the message. Venetians are said to inspire Poussin much during the painting of this art. However, he also tried to comply with the painting styles and concentration of the 1640s. The art is one of the stylish pictures of those ages. On the planning, he drew graphical sketches before he began the painting. He used these drawings to ensure he perfects the artwork.

Nicolas was in Rome since 1624 where he was free with the catholic patrons. They spend most of the time with him in the church while serving within Rome. Through them, he learnt more about Christian doctrines and bible stories where he comes across with the adoration of the shepherds. The cardinal Francesco Barberini and his secretary Antiquarian Cassiano Dal Pozzo were his patrons and source of inspiration. They made him turn his mind and specialise in the bible stories. Raphael, Ferdinand Elle, George Lalleman, Claude Lorrain and Classicium also inspired him amongst many other artists. Other paints he made include; Rape of Sabine woman, Dance to the music of the time, and many others.