Nicolas Poussin (born June 1594 – died November 19, 1665) – a brilliant French artist of the 17th century, the founder of the classical movement in painting. The work of Nicolas Poussin had an invaluable impact on the development of fine art. The biography of the master was restored thanks to surviving letters.

Nicolas Poussin and his paintings are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists of the past and present. The artist’s methods of expression are considered a standard in classicism. Most of his works are associated with mythological and biblical subjects.

Biography of Nicolas Poussin

Nicolas Poussin was born in the north of France, in Normandy, the date of his birth is not precisely established. Information about the family of the future genius and his early years is very scarce. The young man studied Latin in Rouen, at a Jesuit school, and took drawing lessons from Quentin Varin.

At the age of 18, Nicolas Poussin fled from his family nest to the capital. Creative life in Paris was in full swing, art was flourishing, but it was not easy to become “one of the guys” in the closed guild of painters and sculptors.

Poussin learned the basics of painting from the portraitist Ferdinand van Elle, then became an apprentice to Georges Lallemand, a history painter, but they did not get along. Nicolas, who had a strong individuality, did not accept the studio system: throughout his creative life, he painted slowly and carefully, preferring to work alone.

The young man accumulated significant debts. He returned to his father’s house, but in 1616 he left for Paris again to study anatomy and perspective. Thanks to his friendship with the valet of Marie de Medici, Alexandre Courtois, the artist was able to visit the Louvre.

Nicolas Poussin’s own style was formed under the influence of the paintings of Raphael (Raffaello Santi) and Giulio Romano (Giulio Romano). The center of art at that time was Rome, which our hero passionately dreamed of. Two attempts to leave were unsuccessful: the first time the artist managed to get only to Florence, the second time he stayed in Lyon. Here he created one of his most significant paintings, which was long considered lost – “The Assumption of the Virgin”.

Finally, luck smiled on the artist, and in 1624, thirty-year-old Nicolas Poussin settled in Rome for 16 long years. He visited churches and monasteries, studied the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Durer and other great masters of the Renaissance. Nicolas Poussin was inspired by the paintings of Titian, Annibale Carracci, and Poussin remained completely indifferent to the legacy of Michelangelo. He could not stand the work of Caravaggio and believed that he was born to destroy painting.

In the capital of Italy, Poussin met Cardinal Francesco Barberini il Vecchio. “The Destruction of Jerusalem”, painted by order of a high patron, became the first significant work of the Italian period. The original painting has not survived, and its second version is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Among other famous works of that time, “The Death of Germanicus” stands out – a masterpiece that became a symbol of classicism. All the paintings created in Rome are characterized by clarity of idea, precision of composition and softness of color scheme.

Having achieved success abroad, the artist acquired many customers in his homeland. Among them was the famous Cardinal Richelieu, who bought several of Poussin’s paintings. The painter was promised favorable conditions if he agreed to return to France. In correspondence with friends, Nicolas expressed fears that he was “committing recklessness,” but nevertheless, at the end of 1640, he arrived in Paris and spent the next two years there.

Having fulfilled his obligations, in 1642 Poussin rushed back to his beloved Rome. His mastery reached its apogee. Epicurean motifs practically disappeared, the artist became increasingly interested in ancient themes, and painted landscapes.

In 1664, Nicolas Poussin became a widower. A year after the death of his wife, on November 19, 1665, the painter died.