About the Artist

Nicolas Poussin (1594 Les Andelys-1665 Rome) arrived in Paris in 1612 to continue the training he presumably had begun in Rouen under Georges Lallement and Ferdinand Elle. Afer a stay in Venice, Poussin traveled to Rome under the patronage of the poet Cavaliere Marino. there he found favor with Cardinal Francesco Barberini (1597-1679), among others, and aside from a journey to Paris from 1640 to 1642, he remained in the Eternal City until his death. Poussin is considered the founder of French neoclassicism. Based on the art of antiquity and the Italian Renaissance, he concentrated on history paintings, portraits and landscapes which he always carried out according to strict principles of organization that stove for complete perfection . Important works by the artist include The Death of Germanicus, 1627, The Minneapolis institute of Art, Minneapolis; The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus, 1627, Pinacoteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vatican; and Self-Portrait, 1650, Musee du Louvre, Paris.