Embarkation for Cythera
Encyclopedia
The Embarkation for Cythera ("L'Embarquement pour Cythère") is a painting by the French
Rococo
artist Jean-Antoine Watteau. It is also known as "Voyage to Cythera" and "Pilgrimage on the Isle of Cythera". Watteau submitted this work to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as his reception piece in 1717. The painting is now in the Louvre
in Paris
. A second variant version of the composition, Pilgrimage to Cythera, painted by Watteau sometime between 1718 and 1721, is in the Charlottenburg Palace
, Berlin
.
"; an amorous celebration or party enjoyed by the elite aristocracy of France during the reign of Louis XV. The aristocracy would retreat to pastoral settings to cavort in love and flirtations. The many cupids flying around the couples and pushing them closer together, as well as the statue of Venus (the goddess of sexual love) are included as erotic overtones, highlighting the sexual nature of the celebration. For example, there are three pairs of lovers. Starting right to left with the couple next to the statue . While the two lovers are still engaged in their passionate tryst, another couple rises to follow a third pair down the hill, although the woman of the third pair glances back fondly at the goddess’s sacred grove. At the foot of the hill, several more happy couples are preparing to board the golden gondola at the left. With its light and wispy brushstrokes, the hazy landscape in the background brings to mind the works of Peter Paul Rubens and Leonardo da Vinci
. It does not give to any clues whether it is spring or fall, dawn or dusk.
In ancient times, Cythera
, one of the Greek
islands, was thought to be the birthplace of Venus, goddess
of love. Thus, the island became sacred to the goddess and love. However, the subject of Cythera may have been inspired by certain 17th century operas or an illustration of a minor play. In Florent Carton Dancourt
's Les Trois Cousines, a girl dressed as a pilgrim steps out from the chorus line and invites the audience to join her on a voyage to the island, where everyone will meet their ideal partner. It was around 1709 that Watteau painted his first, more literal version of the theme, which nonetheless bears a compositional similarity to the Louvre painting. This work is now in the Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut
, Frankfurt-am-Main
.
When Watteau was accepted as a member of the Academy in 1714, he was expected to present the customary reception piece. Although he was given unusual freedom in choosing a subject for his painting, his failure to submit a work brought several reprimands. Meanwhile, Watteau worked on numerous private commissions that his rising reputation brought him. Finally, in January, 1717, the Academy called Watteau to task, and in August of that year he presented his painting, which had been painted quickly in the preceding eight months. Once submitted, the painting caused the Academy to invent a new classification for it, since the subject was so striking and new. This resulted in the fête galante
s (elegant fêtes or outdoor entertainments), a genre subsequently practiced by imitators of Watteau, such as Jean-Baptiste Pater
and Nicolas Lancret
.
After Watteau’s death, his art fell out of fashion. During the French Revolution
, many felt that his depictions of lavish escapades were too closely bound up with the old days of the monarchy. This particular piece, which had entered the collection of the Louvre
in 1795, was used by art students for target practice; an account by Pierre Bergeret (1782–1863) describes the drawing students throwing bread pellets at it. In the Revolution’s aftermath, it sparked such an outrage that the audience read it as depicting aristocratic privilege. Therefore, in the early 19th century, the curator at the Louvre was forced to place it in storage until 1816 in order to protect the painting from angry protesters. It wasn’t until the later part of the century that the revolutionary fanaticism became romantic nostalgia.
The painting speaks to the state of France before the Revolution, and illuminates the naivety and indifference of the aristocracy that agitated the first sparks of the French Revolution. No longer under the watchful eye of Louis XIV, the aristocracy left Versailles for Paris, and often left Paris for retreats into fantasy days in pastoral settings as in Embarkation for Cythera. The preoccupation with elaborate and delicate surface decoration in Watteau's work highlights the aristocracy's preoccupation with elite pleasures and their lack of concern for the state of France.
wrote a piece for solo piano titled "L'Isle Joyeuse
," inspired by the painting. The colorful and brilliant piano writing vividly depicts the ecstasy of the lovers in the painting.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
artist Jean-Antoine Watteau. It is also known as "Voyage to Cythera" and "Pilgrimage on the Isle of Cythera". Watteau submitted this work to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as his reception piece in 1717. The painting is now in the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. A second variant version of the composition, Pilgrimage to Cythera, painted by Watteau sometime between 1718 and 1721, is in the Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin, Germany, and the only royal residency in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. It is located in the Charlottenburg district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf burough.The palace was built at the end of the 17th century...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Subject
The painting portrays a "fête galanteFête galante
Fête galante is a French term referring to some of the celebrated pursuits of the idle, rich aristocrats in the 18th century—from 1715 until the 1770s...
"; an amorous celebration or party enjoyed by the elite aristocracy of France during the reign of Louis XV. The aristocracy would retreat to pastoral settings to cavort in love and flirtations. The many cupids flying around the couples and pushing them closer together, as well as the statue of Venus (the goddess of sexual love) are included as erotic overtones, highlighting the sexual nature of the celebration. For example, there are three pairs of lovers. Starting right to left with the couple next to the statue . While the two lovers are still engaged in their passionate tryst, another couple rises to follow a third pair down the hill, although the woman of the third pair glances back fondly at the goddess’s sacred grove. At the foot of the hill, several more happy couples are preparing to board the golden gondola at the left. With its light and wispy brushstrokes, the hazy landscape in the background brings to mind the works of Peter Paul Rubens and Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
. It does not give to any clues whether it is spring or fall, dawn or dusk.
History
In ancient times, Cythera
Kythira
Cythera is an island in Greece, once part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Islands regional unit, which is part of the Attica region , Greece.For many centuries, while naval travel was the only means...
, one of the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
islands, was thought to be the birthplace of Venus, goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of love. Thus, the island became sacred to the goddess and love. However, the subject of Cythera may have been inspired by certain 17th century operas or an illustration of a minor play. In Florent Carton Dancourt
Florent Carton Dancourt
Florent Carton aka Dancourt , French dramatist and actor, was born at Fontainebleau. He belonged to a family of rank, and his parents entrusted his education to Pere de la Rue, a Jesuit, who made earnest efforts to induce him to join the order...
's Les Trois Cousines, a girl dressed as a pilgrim steps out from the chorus line and invites the audience to join her on a voyage to the island, where everyone will meet their ideal partner. It was around 1709 that Watteau painted his first, more literal version of the theme, which nonetheless bears a compositional similarity to the Louvre painting. This work is now in the Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut
Städel
The Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt am Main, with one of the most important collections in Germany....
, Frankfurt-am-Main
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
When Watteau was accepted as a member of the Academy in 1714, he was expected to present the customary reception piece. Although he was given unusual freedom in choosing a subject for his painting, his failure to submit a work brought several reprimands. Meanwhile, Watteau worked on numerous private commissions that his rising reputation brought him. Finally, in January, 1717, the Academy called Watteau to task, and in August of that year he presented his painting, which had been painted quickly in the preceding eight months. Once submitted, the painting caused the Academy to invent a new classification for it, since the subject was so striking and new. This resulted in the fête galante
Fête galante
Fête galante is a French term referring to some of the celebrated pursuits of the idle, rich aristocrats in the 18th century—from 1715 until the 1770s...
s (elegant fêtes or outdoor entertainments), a genre subsequently practiced by imitators of Watteau, such as Jean-Baptiste Pater
Jean-Baptiste Pater
Jean-Baptiste Pater was a French rococo painter.Born in Valenciennes, Pater was the son of sculptor Antoine Pater and studied under him before becoming a student of painter Jean-Baptiste Guide. Pater then moved to Paris, briefly becoming a pupil of Antoine Watteau in 1713. Watteau, despite...
and Nicolas Lancret
Nicolas Lancret
Nicolas Lancret , French painter, was born in Paris, and became a brilliant depicter of light comedy which reflected the tastes and manners of French society under the regent Orleans....
.
After Watteau’s death, his art fell out of fashion. During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, many felt that his depictions of lavish escapades were too closely bound up with the old days of the monarchy. This particular piece, which had entered the collection of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in 1795, was used by art students for target practice; an account by Pierre Bergeret (1782–1863) describes the drawing students throwing bread pellets at it. In the Revolution’s aftermath, it sparked such an outrage that the audience read it as depicting aristocratic privilege. Therefore, in the early 19th century, the curator at the Louvre was forced to place it in storage until 1816 in order to protect the painting from angry protesters. It wasn’t until the later part of the century that the revolutionary fanaticism became romantic nostalgia.
The painting speaks to the state of France before the Revolution, and illuminates the naivety and indifference of the aristocracy that agitated the first sparks of the French Revolution. No longer under the watchful eye of Louis XIV, the aristocracy left Versailles for Paris, and often left Paris for retreats into fantasy days in pastoral settings as in Embarkation for Cythera. The preoccupation with elaborate and delicate surface decoration in Watteau's work highlights the aristocracy's preoccupation with elite pleasures and their lack of concern for the state of France.
Controversy
There has been a bit of controversy as to whether the people on the island are coming or going. Since they have already paired up, there is a chance they may be leaving. Many art historians have come up with a variety of interpretations of the allegory of the voyage to the island of love. Watteau himself purposely did not give an answer. The scene is as much a departure from the island as an arrival.Importance in Music
Embarkation for Cythera achieved a notable place in Music History in 1904 when composer Claude DebussyClaude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
wrote a piece for solo piano titled "L'Isle Joyeuse
L'Isle Joyeuse
L'isle joyeuse, L. 106 is an extended solo piano piece by Claude Debussy composed in 1904. According to Jim Samson , the "central relationship in the work is that between material based on the whole-tone scale, the lydian mode and the diatonic scale, the lydian mode functioning as an effective...
," inspired by the painting. The colorful and brilliant piano writing vividly depicts the ecstasy of the lovers in the painting.
Further reading
- Zaczek, Iain “The Pilgrimage to Cythera,” 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, ed. Farthing, Stephen (London: Quintet, 2006) 292.
- Janson, H.W., Janson, Anthony F., History of Art: The Western Tradition, Revised 6th ed. (New Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2004) 626-627.
- d’Harcourt, Claire, Masterpieces Up Close: Western Painting from the 14th to 20th Centuries (San Francisco: Chronicle, 2004) 30-31, 36-37.