Study for The Feast of Love

Study for The Feast of Love by Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684-1721), dating from 1717-1718, provides critical insight into the artist’s highly refined preparatory process. Classified as a drawing, the work is executed primarily in red chalk, supplemented by fine graphite detailing on buff laid paper. This combination demonstrates Watteau’s mastery of the chalk medium, through which he achieved a remarkable sense of spontaneity and refinement necessary for his final compositions. The choice of the warm, buff-toned paper provides a rich ground against the sanguine hue of the chalk, bringing life and vitality to the preliminary study. This piece served as a compositional component for Watteau’s major finished painting, also titled The Feast of Love, which is now housed in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.

Watteau’s career defined the aesthetic shift in France from the grandeur of the Baroque to the intimate lightness of the nascent Rococo style. The subject matter, rooted in the fête galante genre-scenes depicting aristocrats gathered in idealized, park-like settings for leisurely enjoyment-became synonymous with the artist’s output during the early 18th century Regency period. This study showcases Watteau's exceptional draughtsmanship, revealing the fluidity and subtlety he achieved in rendering figures before committing to paint. This essential piece of French artistic heritage resides within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a critical reference for scholars studying 18th-century graphic arts. High-quality prints of many of the finished works related to this study, often considered public domain, extend the reach of Watteau’s iconic influence globally.