WATTEAU, Jean-Antoine
(b. 1684, Valenciennes, d. 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne)

Study of a Woman's Head

1710s
Black, white and red chalk on light brown paper, 330 x 230 mm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

In his paintings Watteau avoids excessive individualisation, preferring vivid character and the nuances of shifting mood over precise features. His drawings leave no doubt that the reason has nothing to do with a lack of firmness in his hand. If he had not discovered an inclination for gallant scenes, with their theatrical volatility, we would certainly have lost the Watteau we know but might possibly have gained a perspicacious portraitist, the like of which 18th-century France never produced.