Nicholas Poussin, T.J. Clark, and the Joys of Contemplating Art

Back in July, I received a book in the mail from painter Robert Birmelin. About to turn 90, Bob is an amazing artist, and a true intellectual.
“The Sight of Death, an Experiment in Art Writing”, by TJ Clark is a revelation. For a period of 6 months, Clark looked, thought, and wrote about two Nicholas Poussin paintings hanging together at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The intensity of Clark’s project was incredibly inspiring.
I was fascinated by how his ideas and reactions changed through his deep looking over time. And my own mind opened up to a myriad of questions about life and art, style and temperament, composition and meaning.