Artist Antoine Watteau

Essay # 59870

Art > Artists
Art > History
History > European - 17th Century

This paper discusses the Rococo artist, Antoine Watteau, and describes several of his paintings.

1,750 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Antoine Watteau created a new art style, "fete galante," which had a major influence on the Rococo period. The author points out that the style used in the paintings "The Foursome," "Love in the Italian Theater," and "La Conversation" is classically Rococo; however, the style also is very much dictated by the iconography of the painting. The paper relates that Watteau recognized the changing French culture and created artwork that was a continuation and sophistication of Rubens's style, which drew the viewer into the picture using unique subject matter, such as an aristocrat's elegant party.

From the Paper:

"Watteau's painting, "The Foursome," is not only characteristic of Rococo art in general, but the painting also depicts Italian commedia. Mezzetin, Pierrot, and two female comedians are seated and talking in a French Garden. This picture is a classic depiction by Watteau of Italian commedia. In Watteau's paintings of the Italian commedia, Pierrot is transformed once taking the stage from, "a simple, harmless, and not very intelligent peasant to a funny, hungry valet, and often frustrated in love" . However, underlying the humor was a sense of melancholy."