Brief Biography-Nicolas (Nicolo) Poussin was born in Andily, Normandy, where he received his first instruction from Quentin Varin. At the age of eighteen, he stealthily left home for Paris. Unfortunately, he received some unsatisfactory tuition from two artists in Paris named Ferdinand Elle and Georges L’Allemand. In 1620, he made a brief visit to Florence and made it to Rome under the guidance of an Italian poet, Cavaliére Marini, whom he met in Paris. The classical remains of Rome that he encountered occupied him for the remainder of his life. He studied Matteo Zoccolino for perspective and the paintings of Titian and Raphael, but Domenichino, whose studio he worked in, primarily influenced him. Cardinal Barberini, the nephew of the Pontiff, commissioned work from him, and Poussin was happy to sell his work cheaply to people who appreciated and understood his paintings.
He went through a successful period until his fortunes changed when the Cardinal left Rome and his patron Marini died. He was to sell paintings for small sums and suffered a severe illness. In 1630 however, he married Anna Maria, the daughter of a patron, which allowed him to purchase a house, and through the return of Cardinal Barberini, gained many more commissions. In 1640, Louis XIII persuaded him to return to Paris and bestowed a pension and house in the Tuileries garden. After two years, he became weary of contrived schemes by jealous rivals at court and returned to Rome. Poussin had achieved wide acclaim by this time and was never to return to his homeland after that. He continued to work in Rome until he died in 1665.
The most common discredit he received from critics was his use of colour, which was said to be solemn by most, and there was a stiffness in his works brought on by his study of antique statues and bas-reliefs, particularly in his later works. In addition, John Ruskin stated he lacked sensibility and was mentally degraded and untrue.
He influenced many notable artists, including Jacques Louis David and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.