The Rape of Tamar by Eustache Le Sueur

A pervasive classicism tempers the violence of this scene, which may represent the biblical Old Testament character Tamar about to be raped by her half brother Amnon. A freeze-frame effect is achieved through the use of staid yet dramatic gestures that Le Sueur derived from classical sculpture. They align perfectly with how fellow painter Charles Le Brun would soon theorize the best methods of representing historical narrative. Shortly after this work was painted, in 1648, both would become founding members of the Académie Royale that sought to elevate painters’ intellectual and social standing in French society.