Simon Vouet, January 9^th, 1590 - June 30^th 1649.
He discovers in Italy, where he stays from 1615 to 1627, the Italian painting styles (Caravaggio (1571-1610) or, older, Veronese (1528-1588).
In 1624, an exceptional fact for a foreigner, he takes the management of the St Luke Roman Academy, and is the first French artist working for St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
In 1627, Louis XIII^th recalls him in France and names him First Painter of the King.
Living in the Louvre building, his target is to give to France a national artistic style echoeing the Italian Baroque style, and brings alife a new artistic trend with great painters such as André Le Nôtre, Charles Le Brun, Pierre Mignard, Eustache Le Sueur...