La Seine reçoit dans ses bras l’enfant que les dieux lui confient 1800

Here we see Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s drawing, made with black and white chalk on blue paper. The textured hatching technique and muted palette create a serene, almost dreamlike tableau. The composition invites us to decode its symbolic structure. The central figure of the Seine, cradling the infant, suggests themes of nurturing and origin. Above, the reclining figure – a representation of the gods – oversees the scene, linking earthly and divine realms. The use of chiaroscuro not only models the figures but also infuses the scene with a sense of drama. The drawing engages with the philosophical currents of its time. The semiotic interplay between the figures and the natural elements challenges fixed meanings, allowing for a fluid interpretation of the relationship between nature, divinity, and humanity. Prud’hon's mastery of form underscores the artwork’s function as more than just an aesthetic object, but as a nexus of cultural and philosophical discourse. It is a site of ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.