The Dance

This painting of The Dance, around 1719, now in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, is one of Watteau's characteristic fêtes galantes—scenes of elegant society at leisure in parkland settings. Watteau invented this genre, which combined elements of pastoral, comedy, and courtship. 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. He died of tub...

Figures in shimmering silks and satins move gracefully through a woodland setting, their gestures suggesting music and flirtation. Watteau's flickering brushwork captures the play of light on fabric with extraordinary sensitivity.