DAC Collection Artist Information
Jean-Antoine Watteau
French painter and draftsman
Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
One of the originators of the Rococo style. The son of a roof tiler, Watteau showed a penchant for drawing and painting early in life. At eighteen he was apprenticed to a painter in his native town of Valenciennes. Soon after, with little money and few possessions, he made his way to Paris, where he made a living by copying the works of Titian and Paolo Veronese. There he entered the studio of Claude Audran III, the most renowned decorator in Paris; he also met Claude Gillot, a decorator of theatrical scenery. The theatrical qualities of Watteau's paintings and drawings recall artificial illumination, costumes, and painted backdrops, reflecting Gillot's influence. Watteau's subjects, often including figures from the commedia dell'arte, reflect his constant observation of the theater and the studies he often drew during performances. Watteau invented a new type of painting, the 'fête galante,' which comprise large scenes of well-to-do men and women enjoying themselves outdoors. This allowed him to showcase his talent for conveying the delights and enchantments of nature and led to repeated commissions from such connoisseurs as Pierre Crozat. For years after his death, his compositions remained widely known in Europe through the circulation of engravings and drawings.
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500032644.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Jean-Antoine Watteau:
| Jean-Antoine Watteau | Standing Man, Leaning on His Elbow (L’Homme Debout), ca. 1710 | Etching and engraving on laid paper |
| Jean-Antoine Watteau | Lady Walking Seen from Behind (La Femme marchand au fond), ca. 1710 | Etching and engraving on laid paper |
| Benoit Audran II after Jean-Antoine Watteau | The Peasant Dance (La Danse Paysanne), before 1755 | Etching and engraving on laid paper |
| Timothy Cole after Jean-Antoine Watteau | The Lover’s Delay, 1909 | Wood engraving on tissue paper |
| Laurent Cars after Jean-Antoine Watteau | Fêtes Vénitiennes, 1732 (or 1735) | Etching and engraving on laid paper |
| Charles-Nicolas Cochin after Jean-Antoine Watteau | Love in the French Theater (L’Amour au Théâtre François), 1734 | Etching and engraving on laid paper |
| Charles-Nicolas Cochin after Jean-Antoine Watteau | Love in the Italian Theater (L’Amour au Théâtre Italien), 1734 | Etching and engraving |
| Jean-Étienne Liotard after Jean-Antoine Watteau | The Sick Cat (Le Chat Malade}, 1731 | Etching and drypoint with engraved inscriptions on laid paper |
ULAN biographical content is displayed with permission of the Getty Research Institute. Some ULAN content in some DAC artist records has been lightly edited. Content from the Getty Research Institute is © 2018 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.
