Nicholas Poussin
Nicholas Poussin, (1594-1665). French painter, regarded as the greatest exponent of neoclassicism in the visual arts. Poussin, who was born in Normandy, struggled to make a living in Paris before moving to Rome in 1624. There he received commissions from the Barberini family and became famous with such biblical and historical paintings as The Worship of the Golden Calf (1635). His scenes were always perfectly balanced and constructed and are noted for the meticulous way in which they are lit. In 1640 he was ordered back to France by Louis XIII, who employed him on a series of mainly unsuitable projects for the next three years. Following his return to Rome in 1643 Poussin concentrated on the painting of idealized landscapes, as in his Landscape with Diogenes (1648). The classical perfection of Poussin’s work was upheld as an ideal in France until the advent of Romanticism. in the late 18th century.
