"Crossing the Red Sea"

Poussin was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for a small group of Italian and French collectors.

Poussin’s work was informed by the study of classical antiquities, yet was strikingly modern through his use of colour and the complexity of his composition. The Crossing of the Red Sea is an impressively theatrical conflation of elements drawn from chapters 26–28 of the Old Testament book of Exodus XIV, which describe how Moses led the Israelites in their escape from Egypt and persecution at the hands of the Pharoah. Here, God miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites safe passage, before closing them on and destroying the pursuing Egyptian army. Moses is seen in Poussin’s painting at the right, gesturing to God who has taken the form of a pillar of fire.  The Crossing of the Red Sea is among Poussin’s finest and most spectacular paintings. He has precisely layered frieze-like figure groups that diminish in scale to create depth in the composition. He has also manipulated colour and light to integrate this extremely complex composition of no fewer than eighty-nine figures. Rich, contrasting colours distinguish individuals, link disparate groups and draw the eye to key parts of the painting. Colour helps create the visual harmony that is the hallmark of Poussin’s finest work and one of his outstanding contributions to Baroque painting. It is a legacy that influenced many generations of artists who followed him, including Jacques-Louis David and Paul Cézanne.