Watteau

Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) was a unique artist of his time, and in the space of a decade he revolutionised the history of European painting. Nourished by the examples of the past, strengthened by a perfectly assimilated musical and theatrical culture and sensitive to nature, Watteau created his own world, on the borderline between dream and reality, a painting that nothing in the evolution of the arts in France had predicted. As a painter of love, he created a radically new type of subject, the fête galante, which was to be immensely successful. Watteau tackled with astonishing ease all pictorial genres - military subjects, genre scenes, portraits, mythological subjects - and often modified his technique.

This richly illustrated monograph retraces Watteau's life and career in a chronological progression that is attentive to social and cultural data. The personal, family and professional identity of the artist is here restored and distinguished from the romantic myth of the painter developed by the 19th century. A mysterious and endearing artist, Watteau has never ceased to inspire creators of all kinds, from the 18th century to the present day.