Nicolas Poussin, The Ashes of Phocion. Nicolas Poussin was an amazing French artist who created some of the most beautiful pieces before his unjust execution. This classical piece was finished in 1648 and I kid you not that this piece will blow your mind because the details that he achieved is something that would leave you speechless. His understanding of art is something that would make you smile. Nicolas believed that the purpose of art was to represent serious and noble actions of human beings and his work The Ashes of Phocion represents this message. The textures, placement, lines and rhythm that he captured in this piece will have you amazed. My first response was literally jaw dropping because that is exactly what I did.
