Antoine Watteau

Born in 1684 in Valenciennes, Watteau moved to Paris in 1702. He developed his characteristic sketchlike technique while working as a scene-painter and copying Flemish and Dutch genre paintings.¹

Around 1705, he became an assistant to Claude Gillot, who introduced him to the characters of the commedia dell'arte, a subject that became one of Watteau's lifelong passions.¹

In 1717, he submitted 'The Pilgrimage to Cythera' as his reception piece for the Academy, which accepted him as a full member under the newly created category of 'fêtes galantes'.¹

His final masterpiece, 'The Shop-sign of Gersaint', was painted in just eight days to 'warm up his fingers', serving as a profound meditation on art and reality.¹

Fragile since childhood, Watteau died at age 36 in 1721. It is said that in his final days, he was semi-conscious and clutching a brush, painting imaginary pictures in the air.¹