Simon Vouet was a French painter who came to Rome around 1614. He found great success there and became the prominent figure in the group of French painters in the area. As a man with close ties to several noble families and a friend of Cavalier Marin and the Barberinis, his prestige was such that he was appointed prince of the Roman Academy of Saint Luke in 1624, the first time such an honour had been bestowed upon a foreigner.
In 1627 he left Rome, leaving behind him a gap to be filled, and Poussin would take advantage of this. When he returned to France, he brought with him the previously unheard of Italian Baroque style. It was an immediate success; he received considerable orders to decorate hotels and churches and became First Painter to the King.
However, his glory was somewhat tarnished by the arrival of Poussin in Paris in 1640, who was set to be his rival.
What’s more, Louis XIII would have enjoyed the idea of a competition between the two painters, exclaiming upon meeting them, “Mr Vouet’s been caught out now!” That exclamation sounded like a warning to Vouet and led to the creation of a great many works, until there was a turning point between Baroque and Classicism. It was said that Simon Vouet was behind the intrigues against his rival during Poussin’s stay in Paris, which ultimately lasted just a few months, as he left for Rome for good in 1642.
After this interlude, Vouet’s glory in France seemed to remain almost intact until his death. He had a number of followers, the most famous of which was Charles Le Brun.