The Plague of Ashdod (c. 1631), oil on canvas, 148 x 198 cm, held in the Louvre Museum, Paris. Nicolas Poussin (N. Poussin, 1594-1665) was one of the most representative painters of 17th-century France. He spent most of his life in Italy, where he was deeply influenced by Raphael early on and later by Titian, developing a classical style close to analytical rigor. In his later years, he showed great interest in landscape painting, creating a lyrical style that was robust, powerful, and full of poetic imagery.

Since the Renaissance, humanity has been the core of Western art. Seventeenth-century Western painting emphasized dramatic themes, much like Poussin’s apocalyptic depiction of the plague. On the main streets of Ashdod, corpses of plague victims are scattered everywhere. In the foreground, there is the pale, weak corpse of a mother and her baby; another ignorant infant sits dazed beside its mother. A man wearing a hat covers his nose and bends over as he approaches the infant. Surrounding them are bodies lying haphazardly and pale, weak people sitting helplessly on the ground. Some cover their noses as they pass, appearing frightened and uneasy, seemingly afraid of infection. To the left of the middle ground, a group of prophets from Ashdod passionately head toward a circular temple, as if about to rush into the church to beg God for forgiveness and protection. At their feet lie swarming rats and helpless people.

All this unfolds against a solemn, imposing backdrop of ancient Roman architecture, which provides a dramatic three-dimensional perspective space. This contrasts with the figures, creating a sense of movement. Through Poussin’s classical realism, somber tones, and complex structure, the painting delineates human tragedy and helplessness amidst chaos and order, intellect and sensibility, light and motion.

This work was created after Poussin had recovered from a long illness. He expressed its tragic nature through Greek mythological tragedies. However, his creation was not only intellectual but also physical. In 1646, Poussin refused to paint Jesus carrying the cross, writing regarding this theme: "I do not have enough pleasure or a healthy body to dedicate myself to such a sorrowful theme. The 'Crucifixion' would make me sick, and Jesus carrying the cross would kill me."