Bacchanal
ca. 1635-36
Nicolas Poussin, usually the king of calm and orderly compositions, lets his hair down in this energetic sketch for a Bacchanal. You can almost hear the party starting as figures wrestle with a goat, balance heavy baskets of fruit, and dance around a twisted column. Created around 1635, this drawing captures the wild, drunken spirit of ancient Roman festivals before Poussin translated it into his famous, more structured paintings. It’s a rare glimpse into the artist’s chaotic brainstorming phase, proving that even the most disciplined masters knew how to sketch a good time.
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