Culture Corner: Les Bergers d'Arcadie

Nicolas Poussin, The Shepherds of Arcadia, 1638

This work by Nicolas Poussin has aroused some controversy of late because of some completely irrational conspiracy theories concerning the bloodline of Christ and other such conspiratorial gibberish. It seems that ever since The DaVinci Code, people have been obsessed with historical mysteries and are convinced that there's a worldwide conspiracy to keep these things hidden. Can't people just accept that there are some things that have been lost to time and leave it at that? It makes things so much more fun than having all the answers, doesn't it?

Anyhow, it seems that all of this Priory of Sion business has come about because of some very tortured interpretations of this work, mainly centering around the inscription on the tomb in the painting: "Et in Arcadia ego." Traditionally, this phrase has been translated as "Even in Arcadia, I exist," with the intended inference being that Death is the speaker. Arcadia is a mythological reference that is meant to inspire pastoral beauty and utopianism; thus, if the speaker is Death, the phrase points out that even in paradise, mortality will take its toll. The conspiracy nuts claim that the phrase is an anagram that points to the bloodline of Jesus. That only makes sense with some very twisted logic. And 'shrooms.

The painting itself is an interesting commentary on the phrase. The shepherds are clearly meant to invoke the bucolic paradise that Arcadia references; the contrast of the images of utopia with the cold stone tomb points to the inevitability of death. The actions of the shepherds, however, comment on the idea of mortality and the possibility that it may be overcome. If you look closely, the kneeling shepherd in front of the tomb has a shadow that is cast over the stony façade, a common artistic trope that is meant to evoke the idea of mortality. His companion to the right, however, is tracing the shadow with his finger. Possibly, this is a reference to the creation of art. To do so on the wall of the tomb is a symbol of the artist's triumph over death. For these shepherds, even if the kneeling figure were to die, his image would be left behind in a grab at immortality; thus, the overall impression is that the artist is able to conquer death through the immortalization of images, people, and events. So, while death may exist even in Arcadia, no one need be forgotten when they are gone.

Interestingly, this painting is a reworking of an earlier painting by the same painter. In The Shepherds of Arcadia from 1627, Poussin makes the point all the more clearly. In this version, there is a skull atop the tomb, clearly pointing to Death as the speaker of the infamous line. The figures in the painting are much more Baroque in their execution, with the strong use of shading, emotion, and visual motion to evoke a more powerful image. The later representation is more in the classical style with very staid, emotionless figures, geometrical composition, and austerity of execution. While the Baroque era was known for its extravagance and its drama (being the favored style of absolutist rulers like the Popes or Louis XIV of France), perhaps Poussin thought that the statement he was trying to make was too heavy for such a lighthearted, almost Rococo style.

In any event, the mysterious painting can still inspire thought without being tied to the lunatic fringe of conspiracy theorists, and its cold, detached presentation can still give it the air of creepiness that, perhaps, many people find titillating. I certainly don't begrudge anyone their religious faith, and if it makes them happy to continually search for evidence of Christ, then certainly that is their right. By leaving the possibility of physical evidence of Jesus out of it, though, doesn't it make the painting -- and Christianity -- more inspiring?