Poussin, Nicolas, << poo SAN, nee kaw LAH >> (1594-1665), was the most highly respected French painter of his age. Poussin believed that painting should appeal to the mind more than to the senses. His works are meant to be read from figure to figure and incident to incident, and to be brought together as a whole in the viewer’s mind. He believed an artist should choose as subjects only the noblest human actions, and he took almost all his subjects from mythology and from the Bible.
Like many painters of the mid-1600’s, Poussin believed that drawing was a more important foundation of painting than color. The clarity of Poussin’s forms reflects this belief. However, for all of Poussin’s sober forms and clarity of color, his paintings, especially his religious works, show deeply felt emotion.
Poussin was born in or near Les Andelys, near Rouen. He went to Paris at the age of 18 to become a painter, but he did not develop his own style and gain success until he traveled to Italy 12 years later. He lived in Rome nearly all of the rest of his life. He was supported by aristocratic patrons, and he held the position of First Painter to the king of France. He died on Nov. 19, 1665.
