Pierrot Gilles
by Jean Antoine Watteau
Title
Pierrot Gilles
Artist
Jean Antoine Watteau
Medium
Photograph - Painting
Description
Pierrot Gilles by Jean-Antoine Watteau
This portrait of a poetic, dreamy Pierrot is an exceptionally large painting for Watteau. It may have been a sign for a café belonging to a former actor by the name of Belloni. The stock Commedia dell’Arte characters in the lower part of the painting give it an enigmatic air.
A sad clown
The easy fluidity of the brushwork and the bright colors make this work a real masterpiece. It has often been seen as a self-portrait in which the artist portrays himself as a sad clown. It has proved very difficult to determine whether the figure of Pierrot is a portrait taken from life - perhaps one of Watteau’s friends or a well-known actor - or an allegory drawn from the artist’s imagination. The work draws its dramatic power from the moment of stasis in the action, the heavy immobility of the central character, and the viewpoint chosen by the artist, looking up at Pierrot from below.
Jean-Antoine Watteau better known as Antoine Watteau, was a French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as seen in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens. He revitalized the waning Baroque style, shifting it to the less severe, more naturalistic, less formally classical Rococo.
Watteau is credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes, scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with a theatrical air. Some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet.
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August 20th, 2016
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