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Artist Profile: Jean-Antoine Watteau

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

Jean-Antoine Watteau - Mezzetin

Mezzetin (1717-19 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York);

Scan © Mark Harden, used with permission
Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:

Rococo

Date and Place of Birth:

(Baptism) October 10 , 1684, Valenciennes, France

Life:

Watteau elevated to visual poetry the already lofty art of the Rococo period with his oil scenes of courtly love and elegant society festivities. His work is characterized by having many layers of (mostly transparent) colors in an array of pleasant tones. The happy feel of his paintings made for a poignant contrast to his personal life, which was miserably lonely and punctuated by frequent illness. Watteau's output was terminated by his early death.

Important Works:

    Gilles and his Family (1716)
    Embarkation for Cythera (1717-19)
    Mezzetin (1717-19)
    L'Enseigne de Gersaint (1720)

Date and Place of Death:

July 18, 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne, France

Recommended Books About Jean-Antoine Watteau:

See more resources on Jean-Antoine Watteau by following the links at right

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(Image scan courtesy and copyright of Mark Harden, used with kind permission. Please visit The Artchive for more fine resources.)

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