Jean Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) - French artist, who created in the Rococo style, whose paintings to this day attract the attention of many art lovers. We will talk about the most famous artwork of Watteau in this article.
A difficult proposition
Some critics have argued that the best thing about Watteau's painting is the elegant but self-important and often very capricious ladies, around whom cavaliers swirl to earn their favor.
Such is the painting "The Capricious Lady" which is in our Hermitage. It shows a hapless gentleman trying to woo an attractive lady in a black dress.
The Caprice
Watteau placed her image in the center of his painting, clearly making it clear that she is in charge. And, it seems, she is not too happy about her beau's advances, and certainly does not want to yield to him. This is evidenced by the overly tense posture, straight back, frankly bored look, expressing poorly concealed dissatisfaction. Perhaps the admirer is overly intrusive, his jokes are not funny, and conversations are not interesting, he is not rich enough and noble, and in general, female location - a thing mysterious and not always rational, although this is what it and beautiful.
Perfect harmony
Flirtation, unobtrusive courtship, eternal "gallant holiday" - this is the main theme in the Rococo, which can well be called a real gloss of the XVIII century, art for the rich and noble, about the rich and noble, where there is no place for any social problems, the depiction of poverty, suffering, and just plain unsightly old age. It was Watteau was the pioneer of such an approach in painting, which was later successfully continued by Fragonard and Boucher. Surely the dressed-up lady and the gentleman were at a ball, and afterwards decided to seclude themselves.
But this seclusion pleases only the gentleman, the lady herself is simply irritated, she even turned her back to him, which in itself is the highest manifestation of impoliteness at that time and in that society.
A celebration of love
And it is already out of the general rut of other pictures of a similar kind, where courtship is made to mutual pleasure. She looks dreamily away, perhaps at the gentleman she really likes, but has to endure the obsessive solicitations of the unloved.
Watteau liked to mix theatricality and reality: the heroes of paintings are often dressed up in theatrical costumes and are in images.
Gilles
He was interested in the idea of their mutual penetration because various interesting psychological points could be extracted that way. This is the case in the painting "The Caprice." One gets the impression that the lady is on stage and is too preoccupied with how she is perceived by the audience, so she is clearly not up to any courtship. This feeling is reinforced by the peculiarly painted background, reminiscent of a theater set, rather than an ordinary landscape.
Mezzetine
But at the same time there is some understatement in this picture. It is not clear what will happen next, at what stage are the relations of its characters, so the meaning of the painting is not as simple and unambiguous as it seems at first glance. It is for this ambiguity and appreciate the work of Watteau, and symbolists proclaimed him the most interesting artist of all the masters of the past.
Italian comedians
He showed himself a true master of psychological painting, where feelings and emotions are given more attention than external decorativeness. According to art historians, Watteau is not interested in beautiful fabrics, and not clothes - sometimes he depicted the characters of his paintings without it at all, and character, facial expressions and psychology.
Morning toilet
Although one can only admire the ability to depict the fabric: the dress of the capricious woman impresses with its subtle transitions of color, which only at first glance seems unassuming black.
And what do you think of Watteau's paintings - write in the comments.
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