100 Great Artists

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1684

1702

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1708

1709_/0

1710-12

17H

1717

1719

1720

1721

ANTOINE WATTEAU

B()rJl in

J'aimci",JU>, ron

of a "'<I"

;\10""'-to Pari"

flIn.n,,, by copying

Duub marUIT

Stud,,, "nd.,-

GiOot, tb,atri",/

tln;g""

m..-h,d,b

A,wnm al Pal";,

til' Lux,mhourx,

injlum"d by

R,b",

Admi,,,d ro

,,"rod! AaliNmy-

[aia Pri"t/, Rom"

Y,fUnI< to

J'aimci",_

B'g;'" "",-J. on

Cr<h~r'

R"""", to Pari"

I;,~r hrj'fly 1::ilb

parron CTIl""'.

B'gin, painting

fi~.,. galan''''

At"",," if' f'y""b

Aallkmy

Vi,;" L..uJon,

,uJm-rulori,

t/iag1l(Jud. Pain"

T he h.li.n

Coon"<~"ns for

Or iIl,ad

Rm,rm to Pari,.

PainIT Enscign<:

de G crsaint

1);" "f '''Nnu!<Jrrr

in Nogm,.rur_

ilia""

T"o P.~i", of Lo>'"",. Eml .... btion lOr Cyth" .... (th'ail) (/ 71 7)

Cytb.ra ir tb, /abJ,d irlantl ,,/"'., for ,:,bich pil~ffm Nnbark hut ~'"

anT,-,. Til< t=rorul ""ing '''Kil',lT imp=jbJ, dr,amI of eM,i"g

f(Jrmality "sid, in ["'-(JUr,, 'P"nrlm,iry. 711, fi-is.on hm,w" lb." fo1lr

l(Jt~1J iHuh,/,., Ixulily contRa: Il/'p'an camaJ andy" rb, rilJ:Hnd uh-,tJ

tbry ar< '",aring Qr. "dtkm',ly lixtil,

N

"'hing "'x"'" (J< ugly is :i<lm~t<,1 n)

the p.rkland p.,..dis<: of Anwine

\ \'atll:au, major French p.inter and

piofleer uf Roc"C<). Ilis genius ~" "'Jllll_"iti(JIl

fills soft landscapes ",·ith degant silk_dad

couniers, musicians and cheruh. at play. At th<

SIn'" t~ne, \\'atteau's i(I).'lIic world has an air of

theatricalitl" cxpbin<>ll".. the flct that he Ofl""

worked with a theatrical designer. Gillot

designed dttor and C,,''''meS ~" the O pera and

was a p.inter of the fashionable Italian

new offer 1 .... 1 him'" Au<iNn, CurlnJt .. the

Palais de Luxembourg. Not mil' did Audran

initiate \\'atteau inn) the ,k:""",ti,'e p.inting

"yle of cbi"",,,ri,, he al,o intn. It., .... 1 him to the

magnificent ,\blid q'de, pmd,"",d I".. Ruben s

~Jt th< do,,~ gt:r 'Jut..::n ,\ larie.

Rubens prob.bly prm'ided the 'p.rk fUr

\ \'attC3U'S cn:atinn of the 1''' galan" (ka>t of

couruhip). a genn: So new that the French

AC1dt,llY had tn (b'L«:: the Il:rm when they

aU"l'll:d EmN'*ati(k/ for Cytlm-a as Waneau's

w,",""Jia ddl"ar" <·har""",,,, which \\'atll:au diploma piece. Watteau's pUI,;ls La nc":t

often used. and PattT perpet""ted his St}ic, hut the fiu

For ,u ne "",-'on, their l"rtn<:rShip end .... 1 gal""u ,~d OOt last much hq'ond the R.:){'()co

after four }TarS, .lthough W.tteau was peri« !. Ilowc,'er, Watteau as a colouri,t

no~)rious ~" his irritahility and intra nsigcnce u'ntinu .... l to in'pin: p.inll:rS as late as the Neo-

to""",I. organi .... tiofl of any kind. ]-]oweVL"t, a Imlll"essiofli,ts.