The World of Watteau

Looks at the contemporary lifestyle of the French court at the beginning of the eighteenth century through the eyes of the painter Watteau. The refinement and grace of French court life at the beginning of the eighteenth century found its expression in the art of the French painter Antoine Watteau. He captures the rich satins and delicate laces of the courtly costumes, and the play of light, and shade is costumes, and the play of light and shade in the pleasure gardens with a lightness of touch and bold economy of line that foreshadows the Impressionists. But Watteau did more than reflect the surface charm of this world; he sensed the sadness and emptiness of lives spent in endless search of pleasure, a mood that underlines many of his greatest works.