Hardships of War

This Hardships of War, around 1715 and in the Hermitage, depicts soldiers on the march — a subject drawn from Watteau's early experience painting military scenes in the tradition of Flemish battle painters like van der Meulen and Wouwerman. The painting reveals the harsh realities behind the elegant world of his fêtes galantes, depicting the physical exhaustion and privation of military life rather than the decorative battles of court painting. Watteau painted in oil on panel and canvas using luminous brushstrokes laid over careful preparation, achieving a shimmering surface that captures the play of light on silk and the atmosphere of damp parkland. The military figures rendered with the same observational precision he brought to courtly subjects — their fatigue and discomfort expressed through posture and gesture — demonstrate that the formal accomplishment of his mature style was fully present even in this less celebrated genre.

The military figures are rendered with the same observational precision Watteau brought to courtly subjects, their fatigue and discomfort expressed through posture and gesture. The somber palette contrasts markedly with the shimmering silks of his garden scenes.