hile living in Rome. The first version, however, was probably painted in the late 1620s, soon after Poussin's arrival in Rome. Therefore, the artist had not yet developed the sense of classicism that he would later become famous for. Because of this, the painting shows the influence of the baroque style that Poussin followed during the early part of his career.
One predominant feature of the baroque style is its sense of dynamism, or movement. This is created in The Arcadian Shepherds by the way that three of the figures seem to be leaning toward the right. This positioning of the figures helps lead the eye toward the words on the tomb. The dynamism of the painting can also be seen in the way that the diagonal line of these three figures is contrasted by the opposing direction of the tree branch behind them. A contrast is also created by the single figure that sits on the ground with his back to the viewer. This figure is leaning somewhat toward the left, in the opposite direction of the other three figures. The artists of the baroque style were also known for their highly developed sense of perspective. This sense of perspective can be seen in The Arcadian Shepherds in the way Poussin painted the details of the different levels: foreground, middle ground and background. The influence of the baroque style can also be seen in Poussin's use of contrasting shades of color. This contrast ranges from the bright white of the woman's gown to the extremely dark cloth covering the legs of the figure on the ground. In
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