There are three pairs of lovers in the foreground. Behind A Watteau Picture: A Fantasy in Verse in One Act. This was seen not only in the themes of his work (very theatrically influenced) but also in his style (ornate, airy). The work celebrates love, with many cupids flying around the couples and pushing them closer together, as well as the statue of Venus (the goddess of sexual love). Cupids can be seen flying over the boat, though their services may not be needed as nature does the flirting and mesmerizing quite effectively.Les Trois Cousines: This was a prose play by French comedy and tragedy playwright Florent Dancourt and it may have been an inspiration for The Embarkation for Cythera as a group of youths disguised as pilgrims of love prepare for a voyage to Cythera in the finale.Yet this may be the only similarity to Watteau's painting - Dancourt's sarcastic parody would be a spotty reflection of Watteau's happy and hazy dream.La Ventienne: Houdar de la Motte's opera ballet seems a more likely inspiration for The Embarkation for Cythera as it featured stock characters of the Commedia dell'Arte and other pilgrims who accepted the invitation to the island of love. 100% hand-painted museum quality oil painting reproduction on canvas. Antoine Watteau. This particular piece, which had entered the collection of the Louvre in 1795, was used by art students for target practice; an account by Pierre Bergeret (1782–1863) describes the drawing students throwing bread pellets at it. In Florent Carton Dancourt's Les Trois Cousines (The Three Cousins), a girl dressed as a pilgrim steps out from the chorus line and invites the audience to join her on a voyage to the island, where everyone will meet their ideal partner. Medium: Etching and aquatintDimensions: 24 x 37 inchesSignature: SignedArtist details: American, 1930Date finished: 2004Edition: of 140. Jean-Antoine Watteau's Embarkation for Cythera caused a major reaction after its completion in 1717. McCulloch explains his interest in Watteau and this painting: 'I first came upon reproductions of Watteau's "Embarkation for Cythera" as a schoolboy in the late 1940s. Watteau took five years to complete this large painting, which he submitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as his reception piece. Humphrey Wine and Annie Scottez-De Wambrechies. The admiration doesn't stop there. Art from this period relied on the use of natural pigmentsand stone carvings to create representations of objects, animals, and rituals that governed a civilization’s existence. Handmade oil painting reproductions for sale, Always custom made on premium grade canvas by talented artists. Le pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère, film by Alain Jaubert from Palettes series (1995). Rococo: A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th century France, having elaborate ornamentation. From there, the viewer is enamored by a beautiful landscape as the clouds bring the focus downward.Tone: The theme of this piece cannot help but bring about a happy, peaceful mood. Louis XV's succession brought a change in the court artists and general artistic fashion.By the end of the old king's reign, rich Baroque designs were giving way to lighter elements with more curves and natural patterns. A second version of the work, sometimes called Pilgrimage to Cythera to distinguish it, was painted by Watteau about 1718 or 1719[2] and is in the Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin. He developed a unique style and revolutionized the art world through his individuality. Dimensions. Watteau was a key player in the 18th century Rococo art movement. Said characters are enjoying their time at an annual Sunday fair just outside of Versailles, an idea not too distant of Watteau's very own interpretations of how humans should enjoy life. University of Delaware Press, 2006 • Stranahan, C. H. A History of French Painting From the Earliest To Its Latest Practice. This is particularly evident in the wispy clouds and lazy leaves.Color Palette: The landscape's bright palette echoes that of 16th century Venetian paintings. The delicacy and playfulness of Rococo designs is often seen as perfectly in tune with the excesses of Louis XV's regime.Rococo painting, as well as most French art of the 18th century was light, airy, frilly and bejeweled, which is fitting as it was intended for the powerful aristocracy and wealthy upper-middle class.Watteau's artistic content could be summarized by two major influences: his love for the theater and his fascination of the Rococo styling and design.Spending his early years in Paris in the workshop of set designer Claude Gillot, Watteau gained his love for the theater, specifically for the Italian Commedia dell'Arte and its innumerable characters. Watteau's portrayal of Cythera is perhaps the best deception the most vivid imagination could conjure up.His is an island of love, a paradise decorated with brightly colored landscapes that would enchant even the most plutonic friends to accept the invitation of love. It is also known as Voyage to Cythera and Pilgrimage to the Isle of Cythera. Thus, the island became sacred to the goddess and love. Works by Watteau: Watteau took a strong liking to theatrical scenes of everyday life portrayed through Italian comedies and ballet. Antoine's Alphabet: Watteau and His World. The first, somewhat stilted version is … As his career progressed the artist combined his love for the theater and his fascination of the Rococo styling and design and developed a truly unique style of painting with ornate elegance that gained him critical attention. In the ancient world, Cythera, one of the Greek islands, was thought to be the birthplace of Venus, goddess of love. line. In 1719-20 he visited England. In true Watteau fashion, the colorful foliage provides a superb backdrop for his beloved characters.Works by other artists: Watteau's fantasy theme continued on the canvasses of other Rococo artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Pater. At the foot of the hill, several more happy couples are preparing to board the golden boat at the left. Pilgrimage to Cythera. This work is now in the Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt-am-Main. Shortly after, he worked for interior designer Claude Audran III and picked up Rococo design influences.Watteau's attraction to Rococo's curving lines and decorative nature became central to his later work. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2007 • Sheriff, Mary D. Antoine Watteau: Perspectives on the Artist and the Culture of His Time. NDE Publishing, 2000, Italian Landscape with an Old Woman Holding a Spindle (after Domenico Campagnola), Study of a Woman Playing the Guitar or Holding a Musical Score, Pilgrimage to Cythera, Voyage to Cythera, Pilgrimage on the Isle of Cythera. In 1904 Claude Debussy wrote a piece for solo piano titled "L'Isle Joyeuse", which may have been inspired by the painting; the colorful and brilliant piano writing depicts the ecstasy of the lovers. Jean-Antoine Watteau wall art for home and office decor. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Medium. Other examples include;Pilgrimage to Cythera, 1718-1721: The second version of this composition which today hangs in the Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin.The Pleasures of the Ball 1717: Once again, Watteau does an extraordinary job of convincing viewers that his conjured up reality is no longer a dream but the way life should be. ... Hidden Cities II: Embarkation for Cythera / Shipping calculated at checkout. 6226. "Watteau's Embarkation for Cythera received probably the best reaction any artist could dream of, especially a young, undiscovered one.The judges of the Academy judging his reception piece were shocked by what they saw - Watteau's chromatic theatrical universe. It was around 1717 that Watteau painted his first, more literal version of the theme, which nonetheless bears a compositional similarity to the Louvre painting. The work - The Pilgri… Random House, 2008 • Posner, Donald. A second version of the work, sometimes called Pilgrimage to Cythera to distinguish it, was painted by Watteau about 1718 or 1719 and is in the Charlottenburg Palace The last admirer helps the object of his affection. The Embarkation for Cythera is an allegorical love story at its finest. Offered by Warnock Fine Arts. "Watteau" in, Embarkation for Cythera by Watteau (Louvre), Learn how and when to remove this template message, Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut, Land grant to Marduk-apla-iddina I by Meli-Shipak II, Statue of the Tiber river with Romulus and Remus, Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas, The Attributes of Civilian and Military Music, The Attributes of Music, the Arts and the Sciences, The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, Coresus Sacrificing Himself to Save Callirhoe, Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa, Don Pedro of Toledo Kissing Henry IV's Sword, Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII, Portrait of Madame Marcotte de Sainte-Marie, Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Appraised by Dante and Virgil, Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and Saint Sebastian, Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman, A Young Man Being Introduced to the Seven Liberal Arts, Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page, The Doge on the Bucintoro near the Riva di Sant'Elena, Holy Family with the Family of St John the Baptist, Saints Bernardino of Siena and Louis of Toulouse, Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and St Catherine of Alexandria, Madonna and Child with St Rose and St Catherine, Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Portrait of Doña Isabel de Requesens y Enríquez de Cardona-Anglesola, Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St John and St Mary Magdalene, The Archangel Raphael Leaving Tobias' Family, Pendant portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to Seduce, The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents, Francis I, Charles V and the Duchess of Étampes, Street Scene near the El Ghouri Mosque in Cairo, Christopher Columbus Before the Council of Salamanca, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Embarkation_for_Cythera&oldid=992554611, Paintings of the Louvre by French artists, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from February 2014, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 December 2020, at 21:57. The Embarkation for Cythera ("L'embarquement pour Cythère") is a painting by the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. He painted over a dozen pieces under the fétes galantes theme. Jean-Antoine Watteau's Embarkation for Cythera caused a major reaction after its completion in 1717. The Italian Comedians The Pleasures of the Ball He submitted this work to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as his reception piece in 1717. Oil on canvas, 8’4⅜” × 11’3⅞”. This artwork will be painted by an experienced artist. One of the most famous examples is that of the Paleolithic cave pai… [4] Once submitted, the painting caused the Academy to invent a new classification for it, since the subject was so striking and new. [6] In the early 19th century the curator at the Louvre was forced to place it in storage until 1816 in order to protect the painting from angry protesters. Watteau employs certain techniques to ensure that the viewer looks at his entire composition. Cornell University Press, 1984 • Rogers, Robert Emmons. Watteau. Patrica Emison on the retirement of Peter Parshall, Curator of Old Master Prints. The neutral palette of the landscape is complemented nicely by the pastels of the lover's costumes.Lighting: The lighting cast in this dream plays up the bright colors of the character's clothing. Watteau’s creative direction laid the foundation for a new stage in the development of … Antoine Watteau (1684–1721) ; Alternative names: Jean-Antoine Watteau: Description: French painter, graphic artist, drawer and artist: Date of birth/death: 10 October 1684 Commission your own museum quality hand painted reproduction of " Embarkation For Cythera Or The Pilgrimage To Cythera Detail 1717 " on a high quality cotton-linen canvas, originally by artist Jean Antoine Watteau. medium. No matter the location, a group of young couples enjoy another on the densely vegetated island.The focus falls on three couples in particular who occupy the center right. 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