Watteau, Antoine
Watteau, Antoine, wah TOH, an TWAHN (1684-1721), a French painter, developed a style and subject matter that began the Rococo movement. Watteau's specialty was the small, intimate painting called the fete galante (elegant party) or fete champetre (country party). In these works, elegant young people wear shimmering satins and silks. They play music, dance, talk, and fall in love in rich, leafy garden settings. Watteau also painted portraits of characters from the French theater.