''Fête galante'' () (courtship party) is a category of painting specially created by the French Academy in 1717 to describe Antoine Watteau's (1684–1721) variations on the theme of the

fête champêtre A fête champêtre was a form of entertainment in the 18th century, taking the form of a garden party. This form of entertainment was particularly practised by the French court, where in the Gardens of Versailles and elsewhere areas of the park ...

, which featured figures in ball dress or masquerade costumes disporting themselves amorously in parkland settings. When Watteau applied to join the French academy in 1717, there was no suitable category for his works, so the academy simply created one rather than reject his application. His

reception piece In art, a reception piece is a work submitted by an artist to an academy for approval as part of the requirements for admission to membership. The piece is normally representative of the artist's work, and the organization's judgement of its skil ...

was the ''

Embarkation for Cythera ''The Embarkation for Cythera'' ("L'embarquement pour Cythère") is a painting by the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. It is also known as ''Voyage to Cythera'' and ''Pilgrimage to the Isle of Cythera''. Watteau submitted this work to the ...

'', now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

.Clarke, M. & D. (2010) "fête galante" in ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms''. oxfordreference.com,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. Retrieved 8 November 2013.Fête Galante
''Glossary'',

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013. Watteau wanted recognition from the government-appointed Academy of Painting and Sculpture. The Academy upheld the

hierarchy of genres A hierarchy of genres is any formalization which ranks different genres in an art form in terms of their prestige and cultural value. In literature, the epic was considered the highest form, for the reason expressed by Samuel Johns ...

, ranking scenes of everyday life and portraits, the paintings most desired by private patrons, as lower than morally educational paintings illustrating

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s, including

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

and scenes from

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

. File:Jean-Antoine Watteau - Fêtes Venitiennes - Google Art Project.jpg, Fêtes Vénitiennes File:Jean-Antoine Watteau - Mezzetin.JPG, Mezzetin, 1718/9

Wider context

''Fête galante'' paintings are an important part of the

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

period of art, which saw the focus of European arts move away from the hierarchical, standardized grandeur of the church and

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

and toward an appreciation for intimacy and personal pleasures. Nonetheless, the lush, outdoor settings of ''fête galante'' paintings were often borrowed from earlier paintings, especially from Venetian paintings of the 16th century and Dutch paintings of the 17th century. The nineteenth century saw an anachronistic revival of such scenes in the ''costume genre'' depictions or ''scene galante'' paintings by, for example, Arturo Ricci. File:Nicolas Lancret 001.jpg,

Nicolas Lancret Nicolas Lancret (22 January 1690 – 14 September 1743) was a French painter. Born in Paris, he was a brilliant depicter of light comedy which reflected the tastes and manners of French society during the regency of the Duke of Orleans and, late ...

, circa 1730 File:Declarationoflove.jpg,

Jean François de Troy Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

, ''The Declaration of Love, 1731.''

Examples

Gaston_La_Touche_-_The_Arbor_-_Walters_372626

* '' L'Accord Parfait'' (LACMA)- painted by Watteau between 1717 and 1718. A lovely young woman holds music for a homely old man playing a

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. * '' Le Collation'' - by Pater. Gentry flirt and pick flowers before a female nude reclining on a mound shaped like a sea shell. The nude probably represents the goddess

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

. * '' Danse dans le Parc'' - by

. Lavishly dressed courtiers dance before the statue of an heroic male nude. Male nudes were a favorite subject of history paintings, so this statue clearly is meant to elevate the dancers to "historical" status. * ''

Declaration of Love A declaration of love, also known as a confession of love, is a form of expressing one's love for someone or something. It can be presented in various forms, such as love letters, speeches, or love songs. A love declaration is more often than not ...

'' - painted by

in 1731. De Troy's style is much more realistic than most. This painting was purchased by

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

and hung in the Sans Souci palace. * '' Les Deux Cousines'' - painted by Watteau between 1717 and 1718. Two women in white

satin A satin weave is a type of fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves alongside plain weave ...

gowns are offered a red cape by a gallant young man. As in other fête galante paintings, Greco-Roman statues along the lake help elevate this genre scene to

status. * '' Gardens of the Villa d'Este at Tivoli'' - painted by Fragonard.

Classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...

provides the backdrop for an outdoor meal and games. * '' A Lady in a Garden Taking Coffee With Some Children'' - painted by Lancret about 1742. A woman seated next to a fountain in a lavish garden spoons some exotic coffee over to her children while two men- probably a husband and a servant- look on. * ''

Mezzetino Mezzetino, also Mezzettino, (Pron. ''met-zeh-TEE-no'') is a character from the '' commedia dell'arte'' and is considered by Duchartre to be a variant on the stock character Brighella. His name means "Half-Measure (of liquor)" in Medieval Italian, ...

'' - painted by Watteau between 1718 and 1720. Not technically a fête galante, this painting shows a pathetic figure from the Italian

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

serenading a statue. * ''A Pilgrimage to Cythera'' - painted by Watteau in 1717. Beautifully dressed aristocrats, attended by cherubs, visit an island supposedly dedicated to the ancient love goddess Cythera. This painting is often held up as the prototype of the fête galante. * '' The Shepherds'' - painted by Watteau about 1716. This painting plays on a long tradition of aristocrats pretending to be rural shepherds, a tradition which flourished in the 18th century, most famously at the mock hamlet of

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

. * '' Venetian Pleasures'' - painted by Watteau between 1718 and 1719. Two dancers (the man in Arabian costume) perform for a crowd of onlookers in front of a statue of Venus. The bagpiper may be a

self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

References

External links

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of cha ...

"Watteau and the Fête Galante"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fete Galante Rococo art Visual arts genres Rococo paintings