The Country Dance

Antoine Watteau's The Country Dance, painted in 1704, is a very early work by the artist who would invent the fete galante genre and transform French painting. In 1704, Watteau was still in his early twenties, working in Paris and absorbing influences from Flemish painting, theatrical performance, and the decorative arts. This early pastoral scene shows the seeds of the elegant, melancholic vision of aristocratic pleasure that would define his mature masterpieces.

Watteau's early oil-on-wood technique already shows his instinct for graceful figural arrangement and luminous color. The feathery brushwork and delicate palette that would become his hallmarks are emerging, though the handling is still somewhat tighter than his mature manner.