(1684?C1721). French painter of Flemish descent, b. Valenciennes. Until 1704 poverty forced him to work in the shops of mediocre artists, where he produced genre and devotional subjects. In 1704?C8 he studied in the studio of Claude Gillot, an adept painter of scenes of theatrical life, which later became the subject of some of Watteau's finest paintings, such as Love in the Italian Theatre and Love in the French Theatre (both: Berlin). In 1708?C9 Watteau worked with the decorator Claude Audran. Watteau attracted the attention of eminent patrons in his last years, including the comte de Caylus, his biographer, and in 1717 he was made a full member of the Acad??mie royale. The Embarkation for Cythera (1717; Louvre) is characteristic of his art; it is a delicate, courtly fantasy, represented in warm and shimmering pastel tones that place him among the great colorists of all time. A lyric, Giorgionesque quality pervades his airy, gay, and sensuous scenes, which have a poignancy that none of his followers attained. Out of the most fleeting aspects of life he created an enduring and individual art. His exquisite paintings influenced fashion and garden design in the 18th cent. Other outstanding works include Gilles (Louvre), Perspective (Mus. of Fine Arts, Boston), Mezzetin (Metropolitan Mus.), and Gersaint's Shop Sign (1719; Berlin).   Related Paintings of WATTEAU, Antoine :. | The Embarkation for Cythera | The Pilgrimago to the Island of Cythera | Ftes Vnitiennes | Gilles | The Italian Comedy |
Related Artists:
toulouse-lautrec
Fils d'Alphonse, comte Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (1838-1913) et d'Adele Tapie de Celeyran (1841-1930), il grandit entre Albi, le chateau du Bosc (demeure de ses grands-parents) et le chateau de Celeyran. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec est ne dans l'une des plus vieilles familles de France, descendant en effet en droite ligne des comtes de Toulouse, qui furent jusqu'au XIIIe si??cle parmi les plus puissants feodaux du royaume. Cependant, cette branche cadette, malgre son nom illustre, ne vit que comme une famille aisee de l'aristocratie de province.
Maillol, Aristide
French Art Nouveau/Nabi Sculptor, 1861-1944 French sculptor, painter, designer and illustrator. He began his career as a painter and tapestry designer, but after c. 1900 devoted himself to three-dimensional work, becoming one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. He concentrated almost exclusively on the nude female figure in the round, consciously wishing to strip form of all literary associations and architectural context. Although inspired by the Classical tradition of Greek and Roman sculpture
Nicolas-rene jollain
French Painter, 1732-1804