1716
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Bower is a 1716 chalk by Jean Antoine Watteau, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows tangled vines and branches swirling across a light background. The red lines create a messy, almost tangled web of leaves and stems, with a few small shapes that look like birds or people hidden in the mess. The paper has a textured look, like old paper with a faint grid pattern. The artist used only red chalk, layering it to build up the shapes. This technique makes the lines look soft but still strong. The whole thing feels like a sketch that was never fully finished. Next, check out red chalk drawings by Watteau, Antoine.
Jean-Antoine Watteau was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as seen in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens.
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