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How many versions of the Cythera subject did Antoine Watteau paint?
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Antoine Watteau
Mezzetin, oil on canvas by Antoine Watteau, 1718â20; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 55.2 Ă 43.2 cm.
Jean-Antoine Watteau painted three versions of the subject known as LâEmbarquement pour lâĂźle de CythĂšre (The Pilgrimage to Cythera).1
The three versions are characterized by the following:
- First version (c. 1710â1712): This version is described as anecdotal, featuring a theatrical, literal depiction inspired by a comedy motif in a vaguely Venetian setting.21
- Second version (1717): Often considered the most beautiful, this paintingâwhich served as Watteau's diploma piece for the French Academyâdepicts a profane ritual set within an expansive, unreal landscape.21
- Third version: In this iteration, the subject is depicted with cherubim fluttering around a golden gondola, a treatment described as more vulgarized than the previous versions.1
Common to all three works is a theatrical, scenographic composition that evokes the dreamlike qualities of opera and romance.1