Whatto! Watteau!....
If you're in London soon don't forget to check out his exhibition at the
Royal Academy until Sunday Jun 5th.
Although his finished work is very admirable, I find myself drawn to his sketches which reveal so much more.
Time Out describes it as "Over 80 works on paper by the eighteenth-century French artist, known for his fêtes galantes images depicting social gatherings and for his subtle drawings using a combination of red, white and black chalks."
Jean-Antoine Watteau (
French pronunciation: [ɑ̃twan vato]; October 10, 1684 – July 18, 1721) was a
French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement (in the tradition of
Correggio and
Rubens), and revitalized the waning
Baroque idiom, which eventually became known as
Rococo.
He is credited with inventing the genre of
fêtes galantes: scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with an air of theatricality.
Some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of
Italian comedy and
balle. Best Wishes - Lord Noel
