INTRODUCTION Antoine Watteau

One of the most brilliant and original artists of the eighteenth century, Antoine Watteau (16841721)
had an impact on the development of Rococo art in France and throughout Europe lasting well
beyond his lifetime. Living only thirty-six years, and plagued by frequent illness, Watteau nonetheless
rose from an obscure provincial background to achieve fame in the French capital during the Regency
of the duc d'Orlans. His paintings feature figures in aristocratic and theatrical dress in lush imaginary
landscapes. Their amorous and wistful encounters create a mood but do not employ narrative in the
traditional sense. During Watteau's lifetime, a new term, fte galante, was coined to describe them.
Watteau was also a gifted draftsman whose sparkling chalk sheets capture subtle nuances of
deportment and expression.
Early Career and Training
The son of a roofer, Watteau was born in 1684 in Valenciennes, a small city in the north that had
only been ceded to France from the Spanish Netherlands six years earlier. Details of his initial
training remain obscure, but early biographers concur that shortly upon arriving in the French
capital, Watteau was employed in the mass production of crude copies of devotional paintings.
Sometime around 1705, he began working for Claude Gillot (16731722), who specialized in
comic scenes inspired by the commedia dell'arte and who, in turn, introduced him to Claude
Audran III (16581734), a designer of ornament and interior decoration. Working under these two
influential masters, Watteau developed his mature style, increasingly incorporating theatrical
subject matter and designs based on the airy arabesques that had begun to dominate interior
design.Despite his unconventional training, Watteau was permitted to compete for the Prix de
Rome at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He won a second-place prize in 1709, but
to his great disappointment was never sent to study in Italy. With the backing of Charles de La
Fosse (16361716), a fellow admirer of Rubens and Venetian painting, Watteau was accepted
into the Academy in 1712. His innovative subject matter did not fit into any established category in
the academic hierarchy, and he was ultimately accepted with the unprecedented title "painter of
ftes galantes." His reception piece, Pilgrimage to the Isle of Cythera (Muse du Louvre, Paris),
was finally submitted to the Academy in 1717. It depicted amorous couples on the mythical island
of Cythera, in various stages of their metaphoric "journey" of love.
Patrons and Protectors
With ingenuity and determination, Watteau continued his artistic education by copying works by
Rubens and sixteenth-century Italian artists in the collection of Pierre Crozat (16651740), a wealthy
banker and art collector.Italian Landscape with an Old Woman Holding a Spindle (after Domenico
Campagnola) (1972.118.237) is an example where Watteau carefully transcribed in red chalk the
rustic, hilly Italian countryside, adding to his repertoire of motifs that would inspire the backgrounds of
his imaginary landscapes. Around the same time Watteau was assiduously making copies from his
renowned collection of drawings, Crozat commissioned from him a series of large oval paintings
depicting the Four Seasons for his dining room in Paris. Standing Nude Man Holding
Bottles (1972.118.238) is one of a series of studies Watteau made for Autumn, now lost and known
only through an engraving (28.113[2]).Another of Watteau's dedicated patrons and friends was Jean
de Jullienne (16861766), who wrote an early biography of the artist and sponsored an
unprecedented campaign to record his drawings as etchings, contributing immeasurably to his fame
and influence as a draftsman. His collection included the Mezzetin (34.138), a bittersweet depiction of
the commedia dell'arte character Mezzetin. He is shown seated and playing music in a garden, his
pose evocative of the anguish of unrequited love. In a study for the head (37.165.107), Watteau
focused on the figure's plaintive expression. Jullienne also owned The French Comedians (49.7.54), a
late canvas likewise inspired by the popular commedia dell'arte theater troupes, although it is unclear
whether Watteau meant to portray a specific scene or specific actors.

Watteau as a Draftsman
Admiration for the drawings of Watteau has always been equal to that of his paintings. He drew
few compositional studies; for the most part, his graphic oeuvre is made up of chalk studies of
heads or figures. In contrast to prevailing practice, Watteau seems usually not to have made figure
studies in preparation for predetermined compositions, but apparently filled sketchbooks with
incisive renderings of figures drawn from life, which he would later mine for his painted
compositions. A drawing of a Seated Woman (1975.1.763), for example, has captured all the
spontaneity and grace of a young woman's natural movements, yet does not seem to have been
used in a painted composition.Although he limited himself to chalk, there is a clear evolution in the
technique of Watteau's drawings. His earliest studies are in red chalk alone, with black chalk
eventually added to the red, as in Savoyarde (1978.12.1). Around 1715, he added white chalk to
the mix. Although Watteau did not invent the technique of trois crayons, or three chalks (Rubens
and La Fosse, among others, had used it before him), his name is always linked to the technique
for his intuitive mastery of it, melding red, black, and white to great painterly and coloristic effect.
In Standing Nude Man Holding Bottles (1972.118.238), the three colors of chalk, in combination
with the tone of the paper reserve, create a convincing rendering of flesh tones.Watteau's artistic
legacy pervades French art up to the emergence of Neoclassicism. The sweetness of his palette,
an homage to Rubens and the colorism of sixteenth-century Venetian painting recast in delicate
pastels to suit the scale and aesthetic of Rococo dcor, was widely followed, as was his
preference for erotic genre subjects adapted from seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish
sources. Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater (16951736) (49.7.52) was Watteau's only student, and his
closest follower, but virtually every artist working in eighteenth-century France, from Franois
Lemoyne (16881737), to Franois Boucher (17031770), to Jean Honor Fragonard (1732
1806), owes a major debt to Watteau's enigmatic ftes galantes and elegant trois
crayons drawings.

Antoine Watteau Artistic Context

Top

Rococo developed first in the decorative arts and interior design. Louis XV's succession brought a
change in the court artists and general artistic fashion. By the end of the old king's reign, rich
Baroque designs were giving way to lighter elements with more curves and natural patterns. These
elements are obvious in the architectural designs of Nicolas Pineau.
During the Rgence, court life moved away from Versailles and this artistic change became well
established, first in the royal palace and then throughout French high society. The delicacy and
playfulness of Rococo designs is often seen as perfectly in tune with the excesses of Louis XV's
regime.Watteau's artistic content could be summarized by two major influences: his love for the
theater and his fascination of the Rococo styling and design.
Spending his early years in Paris in the workshop of set designer Claude Gillot, Watteau gained his
love for the theater, specifically for the Italian Commedia dell'Arte and its innumerable characters.
Shortly after, he worked for interior designer Claude Audran III and picked up Rococo design
influences.Watteau's attraction to Rococo's curving lines and decorative nature became central to
his later work. As his career progressed the artist combined his love for the theater and his
fascination of the Rococo styling and design and developed a truly unique style of painting with
ornate elegance that gained him critical attention.Watteau is most known for his grand themes and
for being one of the best draftsmen of the 18th century.

Antoine Watteau Style and Technique

Watteau was the innovative artist who extended Rococo beyond architecture, interior design and
sculpture and onto the canvas. The notable elements that make Watteau's style unique are the
combination of his lofty content and his brightly colored landscapes.
Besides the theme of his work, humans at one with nature, Watteau is probably mostly praised for
his bright palette. He revived colors previously seen in 16th century Venetian paintings and
together with his idealized, flirty themes and aesthetics of Rococo dcor, he stunned critics of the
day.Watteau's palette and subject matter somewhat overshadowed his technique and this led to
critics challenging his stylistic ability. They accused Watteau of being "deficient in the art of
composition. " He had yet to conquer showing figures in differing depths and when it came to
form, he did not see in flowing curves but in tight, straight lines.Furthermore, the perspective of
Watteau's paintings is relatively simple; his viewpoint is at eye level for the viewer. He paints his
figures close to true to life with proportionate bodies, all relative in size to another.Despite this,
Watteau's drawing style has made him one of the most brilliant and innovative draftsmen of the
eighteenth century. He displayed a fascinating talent with the "trois-crayons" or "threechalk"technique. His drawings, with their rich coloristic effects of painting, grace the walls of the
most prestigious art museums today.

Antoine Watteau Who or What Influenced

Throughout his lifetime, Jean-Antoine Watteau drew inspiration from many sources. His greatest,
and perhaps most influential period was that spent in Paris.
Claude Gillot & Claude Audran III:
In this epicenter for creativity and free thinking, Watteau met and worked with Claude Gillot, a set
designer for the theater as well as interior decorator Claude Audran III. He drew the theme of his
work from Gillot, and the Rococo style from Audran.Watteau wholeheartedly embraced the
characters of the Italian theater and Gillot's influence would play a major role in his art of makebelieve and illusions, a theme that would last throughout his career.It was at Audran's workshop,
that Watteau was exposed to more natural and organic reflections, such as the S curve, or shell
like shape. Watteau incorporated this idea into his airy brushstrokes.
Audran also introduced Watteau to Peter Paul Ruben's series painted for Queen Marie de Medici - a
collection that changed Watteau's style as he evolved into his more formal period.After seeing this
he began to draw with ornate elegance and in the truest style of Rococo. He was the first to bring
such a style of elegance to the canvas. It had been only previously seen in architecture, interior
design and pottery.Watteau copied works by Rubens and sixteenth-century Italian artists in the
collection of Pierre Crozat (a wealthy banker and art collector). Like Rubens, Watteau would also
sketch his works before creating the final piece as well as following the great master's utilization
for the same materials such as various crayons and chalks.
Nature:
Watteau drew inspiration mainly from nature and his time spent in the Luxembourg gardens,
which is evident in his scenic landscapes.In a similar fashion, Watteau ignored society's previous
expectations of the turgid life and embraced the lofty notion of people enjoying the freedom of
their own lives and becoming one with nature.In some of his paintings, the aristocrats of his day
reenact scenes from the comedies, with nature as their backdrop. In others, he depicts actual
characters on a real stage.

Watteau in the last year of his life, by Rosalba Carriera,

1721.

Born

Jean-Antoine Watteau
October 10, 1684
Valenciennes, France

Died

July 18, 1721 (aged 36)

Nogent-sur-Marne,[1]France

Nationality

French

Known for

Painting and architecture

Notable work(s)

Embarkation for Cythera, 1718/19

L'Enseigne de Gersaint, 1720/21

Movement

Rococo

Introduction reynold
Born in Devon, England, to a strict diciplinarian father, Joshua Reynolds enjoyed a relatively
smooth rise to success throughout his life as he became England's premiere Rococo painter. Like
many artists, he traveled to Italy during his early years to absorb the lessons of the great masters
and brought back with him to England a refined artistic sensibility that set him apart from most
other artists.Reynolds fused the styles of the Italian Renaissance and the fashions of his time to
forge a new and extravagant painting style that took Europe by storm. Best known for his
elaborate portraits of England's high society, Reynolds is credited with inventing the concept of the
celebrity.His social circles became the same as those of whom he painted and the artist was
eventually knighted and became the official court painter to George III. Not merely a painter,
Reynolds also started a literature club and lectured about art, literature, philosophy, among other
things.The artist was well trained in the Classics from his time spent in his father's school in
Plympton, Devon and he learned of the Italian masters under his mentor, Hudson. He was exposed
to the works of van Dyck while he was studying in London.However, his biggest inspiration came
from his time spent in Italy where he noted all the great masters and learned about their
compositional, chiaroscuro and coloring technicalities. Such knowledge impacted on his artistic
career for the rest of his life.Sir Joshua Reynolds completed over 3000 works of art, including a
few preliminary sketches which were very rare as he wasn't a keen draughtsman. Reynolds'
worked every hour he could, including Sundays, from morning to night. Even after his mild stroke
and the deterioration of the sight in his left eye, he endeavored to discover new dimensions to the
art of painting which was his passion until the end of his career and life. Thus he has been dubbed
the father of British painting.

Joshua Reynolds Artistic Context

Reynolds conducted his successful career during the height of the English Rococo. The Rococo era
originated from the French decorative style Racaille meaning 'decorative shell and rock work'. It
primarily stemmed from the architecture and furniture style that was popular amongst the
bourgeois and new rising wealthy class in France who wanted works that reinforced their wealth
and pleasure in all their beauty and splendor.The Rococo style soon caught on in England as the
country had a huge rise in middle class and wealthy merchant businessmen due to its advances
and control over new colonies in the West, South and East. Reynolds was able to serve the needs
of this growing middle class with his flattering and elegant portraiture style.The Rococo era was
characterized by hedonistic freedom and a pursuit of all things aesthetically pleasurable. The
Palace of Versailles was the ideal in decadent Rococo art and architecture with its ornate
decoration and grandeur.During the Rococo era portraiture was extremely across the world but
particularly in Great Britain where pioneers of this style include William Hogarth, Sir Joshua
Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.Reynolds helped to define different concepts, not only in
British painting, but across the Western world. He was a renowned intellectual who socialized in
the elite social circles of London and received most recognition for his portraits, particularly of the
London elite. His popularity was due to his ability to raise the figureheads of the day to a
mythological level, which flattered the subject.

Joshua Reynolds Biography

Early Years:
Joshua Reynolds was born 16 July 1723 in Devon, England, and grew up under the strict rule of his
father. The book Richardson's Theory of Painting,' had been inspirational to Reynolds as a child
and from it he learned the vigor of painting and the teachings of Raphael and the Great Masters. It
was through this text that Reynolds' passion for painting was ignited and his admiration for
Raphael in particular was to become one of his biggest influences.With an obvious artistic talent,
Reynolds moved to London to attend art school and he also worked under successful artist Thomas
Hudson. At the age of 27 Reynolds embarked on a pilgrimage to Italy to study the works of the
great masters foe himself

Middle Years:
In 1753, Reynolds and other artists decided to form the Royal Academy to define new aspects in
British art. By 1760, Reynolds had become so successful that he was able to purchase a house in
the plush London neighborhood of Leicester Fields.At the height of his popularity in England and
beyond, Reynolds became president of the Royal Academy of Art in 1768 and was knighted the
following year. He later became official court painter to King George III.
Advanced Years:
Reynolds continued as president of the Royal Academy until the end of his life but he stopped
painting because of poor eyesight in 1789 and died three years later aged 68. Reynolds' funeral
was held at St. Paul's Cathedral, where his body was cremated and a statue was erected to
commemorate him.He had lived to become one of the most recognized artists, academics, and
literary contributors of the 18th century, not to mention the mayor of Plympton in 1773.

Reynolds specialized in historical works denoting the modern-day gentry as Classical subjects. This
new approach of depicting the elite subject as Gods and Goddess of mythical origin proved
beneficial for Reynolds as he became immensely popular while many orders came streaming in
from patrons.

Joshua Reynolds Style and Technique

Defining Characteristics:
Color Palette:
For flesh tones, Reynolds used black, blue-black, lake, carmine, white, orpiment, yellow ochre,
ultramarine, and varnish. It was most important to get the mixture on the palette as close to the
sitter's real complexion as possible. It was one of the first things Reynolds did concerning the color
scheme after the initial sketch.Reynolds felt that blatantly mixing the colors would affect the
natural blending so he opted to layer the colors while still fresh and wet. By layering the wet,
soluble colors, the paints were allowed to have a fresh, clean appearance.
Brush Work:
Reynolds' brush work is smooth and not heavily applied to the canvas. His strokes are long, hard,
and broad in nature. He does not completely blend his brush work in his paintings, which makes
them very clear and bold.
Composition, Tone and Lighting:
Reynolds ensured that the positioning of the core lighting was always upon the main figure and his
background landscapes were also accentuated. He created stark shadows where necessary and
bold highlighting to emphasize the primary color, so the eye could follow a harmony in the works
that created a natural, three-dimensional effect.
Methods Utilized:
Reynolds used a primary color such a red as the main force in his work. He then would include
reds all over the work to help redirect the eye to the primary color to emphasize the sitter's flesh
tones. He always used bold colors to create unity in his works instead of softer tones.

Joshua Reynolds Who or What Influenced

Anthony van Dyck:
Van Dyck's work was the earliest influence in Reynolds' painting and his earliest family portrait
took on the same elegant style and compositional techniques that van Dyck had used.
Even in his portraits post-Italy, Reynolds used the dcor and various props to help accentuate the
presence of the sitter and took into account various poses to help express their inner character.
Peter Paul Rubens:
Reynolds had made the trip to Antwerp in the late 1700s and there he studied the works of Rubens
in detail. He noted the great master's approach to rich coloring and ability to define spatial
elements.After returning from Antwerp, Reynolds started implementing a richer color palette as
Rubens had done and used the various color schemes to accentuate the sitter and recreated a
focus by using various highlights with chiaroscuro.
Raphael:
Reynolds was first exposed to the works of Raphael when he was just 10 years old when reading
Jonathan Richardson's Theory of Painting. By then, he was already fascinated by the works of the
great Italian master and would try out the various new aspects in his early portraits.
On his trip to Italy, Reynolds was finally allowed to see and experience being educated in the style
that Raphael had once taught. Reynolds went on to study all the great masters from the Venetian
school of the 16th century, focusing on their compositional and aesthetic qualities pertaining to
culture and society's perception to the 'natural' in art.
Baroque masters:
Reynolds has made several references to the various schools of art that emerged in the century
preceding his, as well as the new concepts of style and painting technicalities that helped bring
new light into the realm of art. He divided the art schools into the dominating art forces: the
Italian Baroque and Dutch Baroque (also known as Flanders Baroque).
These two schools impressed him the most. He noted the various religious and cultural influences,
how art had progressed upon those lines, and how the two societies had redefined beauty.
Reynolds drew a lot from the Baroque era and its aesthetics, as he too experimented with various
methods of creating new ways of making and mixing paints in order to alter effects upon the
canvas. He relied heavily on chiaroscuro techniques from artists such as Rembrandt and
Caravaggio and would analyze the different lighting approaches to create mood and composition.
The Venetian and Italian school of Antiquity of the 16th century:
Reynolds was fascinated with the various coloring and compositional methods that derived from
the Venetian schools and their approach to the Classical figures. He noted the various
methodologies in flesh tones that could be highlighted through shading and color.The most noted
artists of this period who inspired Reynolds were Michelangelo, Titian, Jacobo Tintoretto and Paolo
Veronese.

Joshua Reynolds Critical Reception

During Life:
Reynolds maintained a high level of respect during his lifetime which was never questioned.
Beloved by critics and the elite of England alike, (who were in reality one and the same), Reynolds
went on to found the Society of Artists, was elected president of the Royal Society of the Arts, and
gave a series of successful lectures that were taken as quite perceptive for their time.
After death:
After Reynolds' death, the English artists who followed were divided into two distinct camps as to
the merit of his work. While some, such as J. M.W. Turner, applauded his painterly techniques,
others, like William Blake, were offended by his strict viewpoints.

Rococo period
Rococo (/rkoko/ or /rokko/), less commonly roccoco, or "Late Baroque", is an 18thcentury artistic movement and style, affecting many aspects of the arts including painting,
sculpture, architecture, interior design, decoration, literature, music, and theatre. It developed in
the early 18th century in Paris, France as a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry, and strict
regulations of the Baroque, especially of the Palace of Versailles.[1] Rococo artists and architects
used a more jocular, florid, and graceful approach to the Baroque. Their style was ornate and
used light colours, asymmetrical designs, curves, and gold. Unlike the political Baroque, the
Rococo had playful and witty themes. The interior decoration of Rococo rooms was designed as
a total work of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors,
and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings. The Rococo was also
important in theatre. The book The Rococo states that no other culture "has produced a wittier,
more elegant, and teasing dialogue full of elusive and camouflaging language and gestures,
refined feelings and subtle criticism" than Rococo theatre, especially that of France.[2]By the end
of the 18th century, Rococo was largely replaced by the Neoclassic style. In 1835 the Dictionary
of the French Academy stated that the word Rococo "usually covers the kind of ornament, style
and design associated with Louis XV's reign and the beginning of that of Louis XVI". It includes
therefore, all types of art from around the middle of the 18th century in France. The word is seen
as a combination of the French rocaille (stone) and coquilles (shell), due to reliance on these
objects as decorative motifs.[3] The term may also be a combination of the Italian word "barocco"
(an irregularly shaped pearl, possibly the source of the word "baroque") and the French "rocaille"
(a popular form of garden or interior ornamentation using shells and pebbles) and may describe
the refined and fanciful style that became fashionable in parts of Europe in the 18th
century.[4] Owing to Rococo love of shell-like curves and focus on decorative arts, some critics
used the term to derogatively imply that the style was frivolous or merely modish. When the term
was first used in English in about 1836, it was a colloquialism meaning "old-fashioned". The style
received harsh criticism and was seen by some to be superficial and of poor taste,[5][6] especially
when compared to neoclassicism; despite this, it has been praised for its aesthetic
qualities,[5] and since the mid-19th century, the term has been accepted by art historians. While
there is still some debate about the historical significance of the style to art in general, Rococo is
now widely recognized as a major period in the development of European art.

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Self-portrait

Born

Joshua Reynolds
16 July 1723
Plympton

Died

23 February 1792 (aged 68)

London

Nationality

English

Known for

Painter