French classical painter. Born near Normandy, Poussin was one of the chief practitioners of the classical tradition in French painting. He spent most of his working life in Rome, where he studied the classical sculptures and ruins, as well as the works of the Venetian artists of the 16th century. His paintings of historical, legendary and biblical events are characterized by idealized landscapes and melodramatic figures; in his later years his paintings became imbued with an almost mystical force. His work greatly influenced both his contemporaries and future generations of French artists, such as Jacques-Louis David.