The crouching figure is tracing the letters chiselled into the stone, "Et in Arcadia Ego", usually translated as "even in Arcadia, I am there". Most art critics agree that the message on the stone has been left by Death, and the shepherds are coming to realize that this means that even in a blissful paradise like Arcadia there is death, and that life is not everlasting. (Making the picture a memento mori, or reminder of death.) The richly-dressed female figure already understands this truth, and she looks on sympathetically.
NOTE: For an alternative explanation, see Andre Felibien's biography of Poussin, in which he interpreted "Et in Arcadia Ego" to mean that the person buried in the tomb also once lived (enjoyed the pleasures of life) in Arcadia (on earth).
In addition, the action of the crouching shepherd is believed to be a reference to the origin of painting, believed to have occurred in the first tracing of a person's shadow on a wall. Perhaps Poussin wanted to convey that painting is one of the only ways to record a state of perfect happiness. It is possible that the red, yellow and blue robes of the two on the right might represent the primary colours of painting and be a sign of hope. At any rate, the painting seems to be saying that the discovery of art was the creative response of Man when he found out the shocking truth about the inevitability of his death.
From left to right, the figures grow in understanding. The two stooping shepherds pointing to the letters help us to focus on the central message of this work, while their knees and elbows balance each other. The woman, who could be an allegorical figure (representing the art of painting that is challenging death's claim to rule over Arcadia), looks like a figure from the classical past. Her face is in profile, recalling a Roman bust or statue, and her pose is as motionless as a marble sculpture.
Poussin's Louvre version is much more rational and carefully composed than his earlier painting at Chatsworth. The shepherds, for instance, are arranged in a meticulous and balanced pattern around the tomb. And there is less drama and more quiet contemplation. Also, unlike in earlier versions, such as Poussin's Chatsworth picture and the version by Guercino, there is no overt reference to death, such as the traditional skull. (See also: Vanitas painting which flourished in Holland at the time.) One possible reason for the quieter mood of the painting is that, over time, Poussin became a firm believer in Stoicism, which inspired many of his paintings. This ancient philosophy (subscribed to by many of the Roman intelligentsia of the day) held that the pursuit of material possessions was a futile quest; and that man should face his mortality with quiet resignation. The only bit of optimism in the picture concerns the value of art as a calm and rational response to the inevitability of death. Only art can recall images of loved ones who have died; only the power of art can soothe emotions, and express sentiments through visual beauty that cannot be expressed in words.
Poussin often built up his compositions on geometric principles such as the "golden ratio". This term refers to the ideal proportion that is obtained by dividing a line so that the shorter part is to the longer as the longer is to the whole. Using geometry in this way to determine the layout of a painting, and its key elements, enhances the harmony and balance of the composition. Poussin's architectual design of his compositions was another feature that appealed to Rome's intellectual elite.
Interpretation of Other Mythological Paintings
Bacchus and Ariadne (1520-23) National Gallery, London.
By Titian.
Bacchanal of the Andrians (1523-5) Prado, Madrid.
By Titian.
An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (1540-50) National Gallery, London.
By Bronzino.
Allegory of Divine Providence (1633-39) by Pietro da Cortona.
Palazzo Barberini, Rome.
Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1688-94) by Andrea Pozzo.
Jesuit Church of Sant'Ignazio, Rome.
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1618) by Rubens.
Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
Judgment of Paris (1632-5) by Rubens.
National Gallery, London.
