Jean-Antoine Watteau, Embarkation for the Island of Cythera, 1717, oil on canvas

The Rococo style in painting was led by the artist Jean-Antoine Watteau, who became a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, even though he did not practice Classicism in his work. This work is an example of a “fete galante” (literally gallant feast) which depicted French aristocrats engaged in noble pastimes.