Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) was the leading representative of the French Baroque. He was born in Normandy. His sketches caught the attention of local painter Quentin Varin, who took Niclace as his apprentice. At 18, he fled to Paris, where he studied painting techniques with Flemish masters Ferdinand Elle and Georges Lallemand. Thanks to his friendship with influential people, he was able to go to Rome at age 30, where he created his major works with strongly religious motives. The most famous is probably Birth of Venus, or the heroic Triumph of David. His work is a great inspiration for many later prominent painters due to its purity, brightness and sense of order. He suffered declining health and in 1650, the tremor in his hand began to worsen, which was reflected in his later drawings. His difficulties persisted and in 1665 he died in Rome and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina.