Bacchic Scene or Nymph and Satyr drinking 

Nicolas Poussin painted this scene of revelry on canvas sometime in the mid-17th century. Poussin carefully layered oil paints to build up the forms and textures of the figures and landscape. We can see from the build up of brushstrokes how the figures emerge from the darkness. The making of a painting like this was very labor-intensive. Preparing pigments, mixing paints, layering colors to create lifelike forms. Poussin would likely have had assistants, but he himself would have been responsible for the overall composition and final touches. There is a real skill in the handling of the medium, a dialogue between artist and materials. Although the subject matter, nymphs, satyrs, and classical garb, presents an idealised vision, Poussin's work is deeply rooted in the material reality of artistic production.