Allegorie van Gerechtigheid 1637 - 1639

Curator: Before us is Nicolas Poussin’s "Allegory of Justice," dating back to somewhere between 1637 and 1639. You can find it here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Well, my first thought is that the figures appear so soft and dreamy, as if emerging from a sepia-toned fog. What was the intention of the artist? Curator: As a sketch, its immediacy contrasts strongly with the monumentality Poussin strived for in his paintings. Executed in pen, ink and wash on paper, its means appear quite economical. There’s something about the provisional quality of the drawing that reveals the work’s construction. Editor: Constructed is the right word! I’m sensing a scene of careful consideration unfolding, an ethereal tableau vivant of morality and power. The woman reclining appears weary, while another seems to make an appeal? Curator: Indeed. Given that Poussin lived and worked in Rome, much of his art shows a debt to classical antiquity. It can be felt here. Justice is often depicted with allegorical figures, such as the three figures presented. They symbolize prudence and truth offering wisdom. Editor: Is the bare, simple drawing an attempt to give value to an idealized virtue? Or is that perhaps not the intention here? Curator: Maybe he wants to convey, as material limitations reveal, the impossibility of achieving these things? I’m left considering this interplay between process and result, between high ideals and low means. Editor: That push and pull is fascinating. Justice rendered in ink and paper… It makes you ponder what it really costs, not just to create it, but to enact it. Thank you for elucidating its story and materials! Curator: And thank you for pointing out the pathos of this picture, its sensitive depiction of an abstract ideal.