PATER, Jean Baptiste Joseph

Pater, Watteau’s only pupil, specialized in fêtes galantes such as the present canvas, painted in imitation of Watteau’s style.

Pater followed Watteau closely in the genre called fête galante, transposing his atmosphere to a more silvery one.

The painting has a pendant: Relaxing in the Country, also in Valenciennes.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 19 minutes):

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme

This is an early painting by the artist showing the strong influence of Watteau.

Pater’s ‘fêtes galantes’ continue the genre invented by his teacher Watteau, exploring many variations on the theme of amorous dalliance. By way of Watteau, Pater certainly felt the impact of Rubens, but he was also directly inspired by Rubens’s paintings, particularly the celebrated Garden of Love. The embracing couple just left of centre as well as the couple entering the scene from the right allude to similar groups in Rubens’s painting. Furthermore, both pictures are graced by a nude female statue whose animated pose belies her stony matter.

While the idea is his own, we may observe here even more than usual Pater’s dedication to draftsmanship, and his debt to Watteau. Anyone of these figures could have come from one of his master’s paintings, similar carefully posed figures may be found in the work of Watteau and the subject is one which Watteau could easily have chosen.

There exists a smaller variant of this composition in a private collection.

Pater specialized in small scenes, depicting the occupations of high society. Although he borrowed Watteau’s thematic repertory and style, he does not attain the universal, poetic dimension of his work.

Pater made fourteen Hogarthian illustrations (all in Berlin) of a burlesque tale, Ragotin, by Paul Scarron (1610-1660). This Picaresque cycle is full of fun, telling of the amorous adventures and misadventures of its handsome hero.

This painting, Mme. de Bouvillon Tempts Fate by Asking Ragotin to Search for a Flea, belongs to this cycle.

This unfinished painting is a variant of Pater’s fully developed Relaxing in the Country (Mus�e des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes).

In the small fêtte galantes, the present panel and its companion piece of the same size, The Musicians, elegantly clad figures lounge about in lush landscapes, with seemingly no cares, playing music, picking flowers, and flirting with one another. Jean-Antoine Watteau, Pater’s teacher, created this genre and Pater successfully continued the tradition.

The Relaxing in the Country (Les D�lassements de la campagne) is in the tradition of the ‘fêtes galantes’ of Watteau, Pater’s teacher. It has a pendant, Concert Champêtre, also in Valenciennes. Although in the nineteenth century it was claimed that the pair of paintings were painted for Louis XV, there is no real evidence they have any connection to Louis XV.

This is a study for Pater’s painting now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Pater was inspired by Watteau to paint groups of contemporary figures in imaginary landscapes. The younger artist includes camp followers (women and children) and picturesque ruins as well as soldiers in this scene.

This painting is a sketch for a panel which was commissioned in 1736 by Louis XV for the Petite Galerie in Versailles. The Gallery was decorated with exotic hunting scenes by Boucher, Lancret and others.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):

Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freisch�tz, Act III: Jägerchor

In the small fêtte galantes, the present panel and its companion piece of the same size, Picking Roses, elegantly clad figures lounge about in lush landscapes, with seemingly no cares, playing music, picking flowers, and flirting with one another. Jean-Antoine Watteau, Pater’s teacher, created this genre and Pater successfully continued the tradition.

Pater made fourteen Hogarthian illustrations (all in Berlin) of a burlesque tale, Ragotin, by Paul Scarron (1610-1660). This Picaresque cycle is full of fun, telling of the amorous adventures and misadventures of its handsome hero.

This painting, The Poet Roquebrun Breaks His Garter, belongs to this cycle.