Nicolas Poussin

Nicolas Poussin married Anna Maria, the daughter of his compatriot Jacques Dughet in 1630.

The couple had no children. Poussin adopted is son-in-law Gaspard Dughet who later took the name of Poussin.

He suffered from ill health after 1650. His last paintings depict the artist’s preoccupation with death.

Nicolas Poussin was born in the town of Les Andelys in Normandy, in June 15, 1594.

His father, Jean Poussin, was a nobleman who served in the Tavanes division, under Kings Charles IX, Henry III, and Henry IV.

He was educated in Latin, letters and the sciences but always showed an inclination towards painting.

His early sketches caught the attention of a local painter, Quentin Varin who became Poussin’s first teacher.

In 1612, he went to Paris where he studied anatomy, architecture and perspective. At Paris, he also started taking tuitions under minor masters Geroges Lallemand and Ferdinand Elle.

Marion had introduced Poussin to Marcello Sacchietti, a wealthy patron. In the mid 1620s, he also came in contact with Cardinal Francesco Barberini and his secretary Cassiano del Pozzo. All these individuals became patrons of Poussin.

In 1628, he created his early masterwork ‘The Death of Germanicus’ by utilizing Barberini’s commission.

Pozzo helped him in securing a commission for ‘The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus’ (1629), an altarpiece for St. Peter’s.

During the late 1620s and 1630s, he formulated his own style based on his studies of Titian’s ‘Bacchanals’ and the paintings of Domenichino and Guido Reni.

By 1632 Poussin was elected as a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Rome.

‘The Israelites Gathering the Manna’ (1638) is the most remarkable history painting of Poussin’s entire career and earned him the epithet of ‘painter-philosopher’. He intended the viewer to ‘read’ the painting because every brushstroke came together to create a drama.

‘The Seven Sacraments’ is another marvellous painting which depicts the rituals of the early Christian church.

Other notable works include ‘The song of Solomon’ and ‘The Holy Family on the Steps’, which have a splendour and finality that make them some of the best pieces of classical art.