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法国画家。18世纪最伟大的法国画家，
罗可可艺术的代表人物。出生在佛兰德
斯的一个小域瓦隆西恩(Valenciennesr)，The Cottage Garden
家境贫寒。从小就从师于当地的一些知
名画家，后来到了当时法国绘画中心巴French Rococo painter, printmaker & draftsman
born 1684 - died 18 July 1721
Student of: Claude Audran III (1658-1734), Claude Gillot (1673-1722).
Teacher of: Anne-Claude-Philippe de Caylus (1692-1765), Jean Baptiste Joseph Pater (1695-1736).
Relation of: Pierre Filloeul (1696-after 1754).
Friend of: Nicolas Vleughels (1668-1737).
Uncle of: Louis Joseph Watteau (1731-1798).
Influence on: Nicolas Lancret (1690-1743).
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Jean-Antoine Watteau
Image courtesy of Don Kurtz
Biographical Information
WATTEAU, ANTOINE (1684-1721), French painter, was born in Valenciennes, of humble Flemish origin. Comte de Caylus, his staunch friend of later years, and his first biographer, refers to Watteau's father as a hard man, strongly disinclined to accede to his son's wish to become a painter; but other accounts show him in a kinder light as a poor, struggling man, a tiler by trade, who secured for his son the best possible education. Certain it is that at the age of fourteen Watteau was placed with Gerin, a mediocre Valenciennes painter, with whom he remained until 1702. It is to be assumed that he learnt far more from the study of Ostade's and Teniers's paintings in his native town than from his first master's teaching. Not only in subject-matter, but in tbeir general tonality, his earliest works, like La Vraie Gaiete (True Cheerfulness), which was in the collection of Sir Charles Tennant, suggest this influence. Gerin died in 1702, and Watteau, almost penniless, went to Paris, where he found employment with the scene-painter Metayer. Things, however, went badly with his new master, and Watteau, broken down in health and on the verge of starvation, was forced to work in a kind of factory where devotional pictures were turned out in wholesale fashion. Three francs a week and meagre food were his reward; but his talent soon enabled him to paint the St Nicolas, the copying of which was allotted to him, without having to refer to the original. Meanwhile he spent his rare leisure hours and the evenings in serious study, sketching and drawing his impressions of types and scenes. His drawings attracted the attention of Claude Gillot, an artist imbued with the spirit of the Renaissance, who after having successfully tried himself in the mythological and historical genre, was just at that time devoting himself to the characters and incidents of the Italian comedy. Gillot took Watteau as pupil and assistant, but the young man made such rapid progress that he soon equalled and excelled his master, whose jealousy led to a quarrel, as a result of which Watteau, and with him his fellow-student and later pupil, Lancret, severed his connection with Gillot and entered about 1708 the studio of Claude Audran, a famous decorative painter who was at that time keeper of the collections at the Luxembourg Palace. From him Watteau acquired his knowledge of decorative art and ornamental design, the garland-like composition which he applied to the designing of screens, fans and wall panels. At the same time he became deeply imbued with the spirit of Rubens and Paolo Veronese, whose works he had daily before him at the palace; and he continued to work from nature and to collect material for his formal garden backgrounds among the fountains and statues and stately avenues of the Luxembourg gardens. His chinoiseries and singeries date probably from the years during which he worked with Audran. Perhaps as a recreation from the routine of ornamental design, Watteau painted at this time The Departing Regiment, the first picture in his second and more personal manner, in which the touch reveals the influence of Rubens's technique, and the first of a long series of camp pictures. He showed the painting to Audran, who, probably afraid of losing so talented and useful an assistant, made light of it, and advised him not to waste his time and gifts on such subjects. Watteau, suspicious of his master's motives, determined to leave him, advancing as excuse his desire to return to Valenciennes. He found a purchaser, at the modest price of 60 livres, in Sirois, the father-in-law of his later friend and patron Gersaint, and was thus enabled to return to the home of his childhood. In Valenciennes he painted a number of the small camp-pieces, notably the Camp-Fire, which was again bought by Sirois, the price this time being raised to 200 livres; this is now in the collection of Mr W. A. Coats in Glasgow. Two small pictures of the same type are at the Hermitage in St Petersburg.
Returning to Paris after a comparatively short sojourn at Valenciennes, he took up his abode with Sirois, and competed in 1709 for the Prix de Rome. He only obtained the second prize, and, determined to go to Rome, he applied for a crown pension and exhibited the two military pictures which he had sold to Sirois, in a place where they were bound to be seen by the academicians. There they attracted the attention of [Charles] de la Fosse, who, struck by the rare gifts displayed in these works, sent for Watteau and dissuaded him from going to Italy, where he had nothing to learn. It was to a great extent due to de la Fosse and to [Hyacinthe] Rigaud that Watteau was made an associate of the Academy in 1712, and a full member in 1717, on the completion of his diploma picture, The Embarkment for Cythera, now at the Louvre. A later, and even more perfect, version of the same subject is in the possession of the German emperor. It is quite possible that the superb portrait of Rigaud by Watteau belonging to Mr Hodgkins, was painted in acknowledgment of Rigaud's friendly action.
Watteau now went to live with Crozat, the greatest private art collector of his time, for whom he painted a set of four decorative panels of The Seasons, one of which, Summer, is now in the collection of Mr Lionel Phillips. Crozat left at his death some 400 paintings and 19,ooo drawings by the masters. It is easy to imagine how Watteau roamed among these treasures, and became more and more familiar with Rubens and the great Venetians. In 1719 or 1720 the state of his health had become so alarming that he went to London to consult the famous doctor Richard Mead. But far from benefiting by the journey, he became worse, the London fog and smoke proving particularly pernicious to a sufferer from consumption. On his return to Paris he lived for six months with his friend Gersaint, for whom he painted in eight mornings the wonderful signboard depicting the interior of an art dealers shop, which is nowcut into two partsin the collection of the German emperor. His health made it imperative for him to live in the country, and in 1721 he took up his abode with M. le Feyre at Nogent. During all this time, as though he knew the near approach of the end and wished to make the best of his time, he worked with feverish haste. Among his last paintings were a Crucifixion for the curé of Nogent, and a portrait of the famous Venetian pastelist Rosalba Carriera, who at the same time painted her portrait of Wattea. His restlessness increased with the progress of his disease; he wished to return to Valenciennes, but the long journey was too dangerous; he sent for his pupil Pater, whom he had dismissed in a fit of ill-temper, and whom he now kept by his side for a month to give him the benefit of his experience; and on the 18th of July 1721 he died in Gersaint's arms.
Watteau's position in French art is one of unique importance, for, though Flemish by descent, he was more French in his art than any of his French contemporaries. He became the founder and at the same time the culmination of a new school which marked a revolt against the pompous decaying classicism of the Louis XIV period. The vitality of his art was due to the rare combination of a poets imagination with a power of seizing reality. In his treatment of the landscape background and of the atmospheric surroundings of the figures can be found the germs of impressionism. All the later theories of light and its effect upon the objects in nature are foreshadowed by Watteau's fêtes champêtres, which give at the same time a characteristic, though highly idealized, picture of the artificiality of the life of his time. He is the initiator of the Louis XV period, but, except in a few rare cases, his paintings are entirely free from the licentiousness of his followers Lancret and Pater, and even more of Boucher and Fragonard. During the last years of his life Watteaus art was highly esteemed by such fine judges as Sirois, Gersaint, the comte de Caylus, and M. de Julienne, the last of whom had a whole collection of the masters paintings and sketches, and published in 1735 the Aberg de la vie de Watteau, an introduction to the four volumes of engravings after Watteau by Cochin, Thomassin, Le Bas, Liotard and others. From the middle of the 18th century to about 1875, when Edmond de Goncourt published his Catalogue raisonn of Watteau's works and Cayluss discourse on Watteau delivered at the Academy of 1748, the discovery of which is also due to the brothers de Goncourt, Watteau was held in such slight esteem that the prices realized by his paintings at public auction rarely exceeded 100. Then the reaction set in, and in 1891 the Occupation according to Age realized 5200 guineas at Christies, and Perfect Harmony 3500 guineas. At the Bourgeois sale at Cologne in 1904 The Village Bride fetched £5000.
The finest collection of Watteaus works is in the possession of the German emperor, who owns as many as thirteen, all of the best period, and mostly from M. de Juliennes collection. At the Kaiser Friedrich museum in Berlin are two scenes from the Italian and French comedy and a fête champêtre. In the Wallace Collection are nine of his paintings, among them Rustic Amusements, The Return from the Chase, Gilles and his Family, The Music Party, A Lady at her Toilet and Harlequin and Columbine. The Louvre owns, besides the diploma picture, the Antiope, The Assemblage in the Park, Autumn, Indifference, La Finette, Gilles, A Reunion and The False Step, as well as thirty-one original drawings. Other paintings of importance are at the Dresden, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Petersburg and Vienna galleries; and a number of drawings are to be found at the British Museum and the Albertina in Vienna. Of the few portraits known to have been painted by Watteau, one is in the collection of the late M. Groult in Paris.
AUTH0RITIES. Since the resuscitation of Watteaus fame by the de Goncourts, an extensive literature has grown around his life and work. The basis for all later research is furnished by Cayluss somewhat academic Life, Gersaint's Catalogue raisonné (Paris, 1744), and Juliennes Abergé. For Watteau's childhood, the most trustworthy information will be found in Celliers Watteau, son enfance, ses comtemporains (Valenciennes, 1867). Of the greatest importance is the Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre de Watteau, by E. de Goncourt (1875), and the essay on Watteau by the brothers de Goncourt in L'Art du XVIII siècle. See also Watteau by Paul Mantz (Paris, 1892); Antoine Watteau, by G. Dargenty (Les Artistes célèbres, Paris, 1891); Watteau, by Gabriel Sailles (Paris, 1892); Antoine Watteau by Claude Phillips (London, 1895; reprinted without alterations or corrections by the author, 1905); and Camille Mauclair's brilliant monograph Antoine Watteau (London, 1905), which is of exceptional interest as a physiological study, since the author establishes the connection between Watteau's art and character and the illness to which he succumbed in the prime of his life. (P.G.K.)
Source: Entry on the artist in the 1911 Edition Encyclopedia.
More Images of the Artist
The Music Lesson
1717
Oil on canvas
Wallace Collection, London, England
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
The Dance
1716 - 1718
Oil on canvas
38 1/8 x 45 5/8 inches (97 x 116 cm)
Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
Italian Comedians
c.1720
Oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
La gamme d'amour
Translated title: The Love Song.
c.1717
Oil on canvas
20 1/8 x 23 3/8 inches (51.3 x 59.4 cm)
National Gallery, London, England
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
The French Comedy
1714
Oil on canvas
Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
The Italian Comedy
1714
Oil on canvas
Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany
Added 12/2/2001
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Les Charmes de la Vie
Translated title: The Music Party.
c.1718
Oil on canvas
26 3/8 x 36 1/2 inches (67 x 93 cm)
Wallace Collection, London, England
Added 12/2/2001
Buy a Custom Fine Print of this artwork.
La Danse Champêtre
Translated title: Pastoral Dance.
Oil on canvas
20 x 23 1/8 inches (51 x 59 cm)
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, USA
Added 10/10/2002
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La Fête d'amour
Translated title: The Festival of Love.
Oil on canvas
24 x 29 1/2 inches (61 x 75 cm)
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, Germany
Added 10/10/2002
High resolution image
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Le Jugement de Paris
Translated title: The Judgement of Paris.
Oil on canvas
18 1/2 x 12 1/8 inches (47 x 31 cm)
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Added 10/10/2002
High resolution image
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黎。1703一1707年在巴黎成为画家克
劳德·吉洛*的学生，后者使华托对戏
剧服装和日常生活作品产生了兴趣。随
后，又成为当时第一流的室内装饰家克
劳德·奥杜兰*的助手，得以亲眼看到
了17世纪大师鲁本斯*在卢森堡宫中的
大型作品，从中得到了深刻的启发。鲁
本斯对华托的影响主要体现在宴游的题
材上，以浪漫、田园的风景为背景表现
男女的散步、歌唱和说笑。1709年夏天，
华托曾作为所谓国立美术学院的学生前
往意大利留学。1715年，偶然得到了刚
从意大利归来的大银行家和大收藏家比
埃尔-克罗扎的知遇，从而常常出入那
些社会名流的文化府邸，并可以看到克
罗扎收藏的大量佛兰德斯和威尼斯大师
们的作品。他也创作了一大批贵族们在
优雅的田园和庭院里寻欢作乐的作品，
使艺术技巧日趋成熟。1717年，创作了
最著名的代表作《舟发西苔岛》，作品色
彩闪烁、迷离，构图优雅、流畅，最典
型地体现了法国罗可可艺术风格。创作
该画的时候，华托还是一个独立画家，
之后，他的名望大增，成为了法兰西学
院院士。华托的作品在华彩之下具有一
种忧郁的诗意，表现了对美好事物转瞬
即逝的担忧，这一特点和后来的罗可可
艺术家拉开了距离。华托在他晚期创作
活动中，经常画一些神话题材的作品，
包括著名的《帕里斯的评判》。这幅画无
论在构图还是在色彩上都是非常大胆
的，可以看出受提香*、委罗纳塞*和鲁
本斯等大师们的影响。他的戏剧题材作
品多表现法国或是意大利的喜剧人物，
他们忧郁或是沉思的形象表现了华托性
格中的细微与敏感的部分。1719—1720
年到伦敦，大概是为了治病，不过，伦
敦冬天的气候彻底损坏了他的健康，回
到巴黎不久就去世了。在巴黎创作的最
后一幅作品是《契尔桑画店》，该画是对
一家画店场景的细致观察，体现了一种
自然主义的倾向。华托油画的技法比较
随意，因此大部分作品保存得并不好。
不过，他有数千张素描流传下来，对于
研究他的绘画有很大帮助。华托作为一
个色彩大师，有着深远的影响，其色彩
并置的绘画手法在19世纪得到了广泛
的继承和发展。
42 张作品最新作品于 八月 02, 2007
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