
by Jean-Antoine Watteau, 1717
Jean-Antoine Watteau painted this scene of aristocratic romance in 1717, showing elegantly dressed couples preparing to depart from or arriving at the island of Cythera. In Greek mythology, Cythera was sacred to Aphrodite, goddess of love. Cupids flutter through the air, pushing lovers together.
The painting caused problems for the French Academy. Watteau had been accepted as a member in 1714 but kept delaying his required reception piece. When he finally delivered this work in 1717, the Academy invented a new category for it: the fête galante, or elegant outdoor entertainment.
This new genre captured something distinct about early 18th-century France. After the somber final years of Louis XIV's reign, the aristocracy embraced pleasure and play. Watteau painted a second version around 1718-19, now in Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The original remains at the Louvre.

Ancient Roman (Unknown), -100
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Gerard ter Borch
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Jacques-Louis David
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Bernardino Luini
Louvre, Paris, Paris
Other masterpieces from the Rococo movement

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767
Wallace Collection, London

Thomas Gainsborough, 1770
The Huntington, San Marino

François Boucher, 1752
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Joshua Reynolds, 1776
National Gallery, London

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1770
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Thomas Gainsborough, 1787
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

François Boucher, 1742
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1782
National Gallery, London
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