Final answer:
Nicholas Poussin's Et in Arcadia Ergo reflects the essential Neoclassical style of the 17th century, emphasizing clarity, order, and drawing over color, which contrasted with the more emotional and color-intensive techniques used by Romantic artists like Delacroix.
Step-by-step explanation:
Looking at the painting Et in Arcadia Ergo by Nicholas Poussin, we observe a demonstration of Neoclassical artwork. Poussin is renowned for defining this style in the 17th century, which emphasized clarity, logic, and order, placing a greater importance on drawing over painting. His art is characterized by well-delineated forms, smooth surface with no discernible brushstrokes, and a rational rather than sensual approach. This subscribes to the Neoclassical ideals that foreground drawing as morally superior, highlighting art's cerebral aspect over the sensuous.
Nicolas Poussin's Classical style, particularly in paintings like Landscape with St. John and Et in Arcadia Ego, relies on clean lines and smooth surfaces emanating the Neoclassical ethos influenced by artists like Jacques-Louis David. In contrast to the Neoclassical ideal of restrained emotion and polished technique, Delacroix’s paintings were full of human emotion and the effective use of color and texture to enhance the narrative, as seen in the painting Sardanapalus and other Romantic works characterized by their lively brushwork and vivid use of color.