Camillus and the School Master of Falerii c. 1637

Curator: This delicate drawing, "Camillus and the School Master of Falerii," comes to us from Nicolas Poussin. It's a small piece, about 17 by 17 centimeters, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels almost like a ghost, doesn't it? So minimal, like a memory barely sketched. The texture of the paper itself feels very present. Curator: Poussin was deeply invested in classical narratives. The story here involves Camillus, a Roman general, and a schoolmaster who betrayed Falerii by attempting to surrender his students to the Romans. Editor: The making here is fascinating. It’s just line, but the line varies in weight, suggesting depth and shadow. I wonder what type of pen he was using to create this. Curator: I find the ethics depicted so fascinating. Camillus, representing Roman virtue, rejects the schoolmaster’s treachery and sends him back to Falerii. It's a study in the politics of warfare. Editor: Absolutely. And the visual economy of the piece, the sheer reduction in materials, emphasizes the weight of that ethical decision, doesn’t it? A little ink carrying a lot of meaning. Curator: It certainly does. A testament to Poussin's intellectual approach to artmaking. Editor: Indeed. A very economical commentary on the materiality of morality.