Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:
Rococo

Date and Place of Birth:
(Baptism) October 10, 1684, Valenciennes, France

Life:
Watteau elevated to visual poetry the already lofty art of the Rococo period with his oil scenes of courtly love and elegant society festivities. His work is characterized by having many layers of (mostly transparent) colors in an array of pleasant tones. The happy feel of his paintings made for a poignant contrast to his personal life, which was miserably lonely and punctuated by frequent illness. Watteau's output was terminated by his early death.

Important Works:

Gilles and his Family, 1716
Embarkation for Cythera, 1717-19
Mezzetin, 1717-19
L'Enseigne de Gersaint, 1720

Date and Place of Death:
July 18, 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne, France