The Guitarist
1724
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Pater
Jean-Baptiste Pater (December 29, 1695 – July 25, 1736) was a French rococo painter.
See the richer artist page1724
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Guitarist is a 1724 by Jean-Baptiste Pater, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a young man in a pink coat playing a guitar under a tree, while two women in silks listen. Pater painted these lighthearted outdoor scenes—called *fêtes galantes*—after his teacher, Watteau. The guitar was new to France then, brought by Spanish musicians at the royal court. You can almost hear the strings. Look up more *fêtes galantes* by Jean-Baptiste Pater.
Like his illustrious master, Watteau, Jean-Baptiste Pater specialized in fêtes galantes , paintings that featured elegantly attired men and women in bucolic settings engaged in decorously amorous play. Also like his teacher, Pater worked out his preliminary ideas in red chalk studies. During the 17th century, guitar virtuosos from Italy and Spain made their way to the court of Louis XIV, and by the 18th century, the instrument had become integrated into French culture of gallantry and featured prominently in fêtes galantes.
Jean-Baptiste Pater worried excessively about his finances and made a prolific number of artworks as a result, with the intention of selling them.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jean-Baptiste Pater (December 29, 1695 – July 25, 1736) was a French rococo painter.
See the richer artist page![Seated Guitarist [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/1923603ffd027bd7/thumb.webp)
![Two Elegant Couples [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/0eab87c3f2698c75/thumb.webp)
