\paperw4890 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 French painter. \par
He was influenced by Northern European painters, like Rembrandt and Rubens, very early on. In 1717, the belated
presentation of the \i Embarkation for Cythera\i0 as his Diploma Work some five years after his admission to the Academy marked the official consecration of a new genre, that of the \i fΩtes galantes\i0 , created by Watteau himself. Characteristic of hi
s work is his interest in the world of theater and masks (\i French Actors\i0 , \i Love at the French Theater\i0 ; \i Love at the Italian Theater\i0 ; Berlin, Staatliche Museen; \i Gilles\i0 , Paris, Louvre) and for scenes set against the backdrop of a m
annered society (\i Rendezvous in a Park\i0 , Paris, Louvre; \i The Pleasures of the Dance\i0 , London, Dulwich Collection). WatteauÆs expression is a blend of the Northern European vein of realism with elements drawn freely from the history of coloring
in art. His iconographic and stylistic repertory, which ranges from genre scenes to mythological pictures, nudes, and portraits, exercised a considerable influence on subsequent European painting.
