17th Century French

Painter of history and religious works, battle scenes, and interiors.

Christened at the parish church of Saint Denis on 3^rd January 1592, Boulogne was probably born in the final days of 1591.

Born into a family of artists, the son of Valentin and the nephew of Jean, after his apprenticeship in France, first with his father and later under another master in Paris or Fontainebleau, he travelled to Rome sometime before 1620, when his presence is first documented, and remained there until his death. In Rome he studied under Simon Vouet and earned the patronage of the Barberini family. Recommended by Francesco Barberini, nephew of Pope Urban VIII, he painted the altar in Saint Peter’s Basilica dedicated to the martyrdom of Saints Martinian and Processus. Also worth underscoring is his friendship with Nicolas Poussin.

Unlike most French artists based in Italy, he showed no interest in Mannerism or in the classicist naturalism of the Baroque. However, Caravaggio and his disciple Bartolomeo Manfredi permeated not only his tenebrist and theatrical style, but also his subject matters. In genre scenes, but also in religious or history subjects, he made use of a naturalistic style influenced by Caravaggio, adopting the master’s signature chiaroscuro.