Watteau; an artist of the eighteenth century
Marianne Roland Michel

This book is a detailed description of Watteau’s works and life.

Jean-Antoine Watteau was a French rococo painter. He studied successively with Gillot between 1704 and 1705 and with Claude Audran between 1707 and 1708. Audran was the overseer of the art collection at the Palais de Luxembourg. A series of paintings by Rubens depicting the life of Marie de’ Medici there had a significant influence on Watteau’s work. He repeatedly used the drawings he made based on this series. Watteau was the first painter to create so-called Fêtes Galantes. These works depict idyllic scenes of distinguished companies. Often, the works are based on scenes from the French and Italian Commedia dell’Arte plays.