Focus on this artwork and discuss the Artist.
Boulogne was born in Coulommiers, France in 1591. His father and uncle were both painters, so it is assumed that he started learning how to do art in his fathers workshop at a young age. He finished his art apprenticeship in France in 1613. He then left France in an effort to move to Rome to advance his art skills and career. It has been recorded that he made it to Rome in 1620; however he probably made his way there in an earlier year.  Moving to Rome would have been highly influential in this painting as there are art characteristics he would soon learn that would be embedded into his own style. This is where he learned about tenebrism, using real models, and the messages behind fortune teller paintings as demonstrated in his painting. The subject matter of The Fortune Teller and the painting taking place in Rome was something that he directly learned while in Rome studying from other artists. Moving to Rome directly influenced this painting with everything new he would soon learn to be able to create this oil on canvas. 
He then became a student of Simon Vouet once he arrived to Rome.
Coulommiers France canvas tenebrism oil Simon Vouet