“It has always seemed tO me strange that the artist who created these figures，which leap and dance around him，was himself a morose and misanthropic character。He withdrew entirely into his own world of color；his imagination became cheerful and merry as soon as he picked up a brush—I have often felt deeply grateful tO him for his romances，his dance tunes，his delightful drinking songs；often，after looking at his paintings，I have felt that the movement of lire around me was sweeter．”

The Mystery of the Artist as a Man

Inset: France around 1700

Gersaint's Shop Sign

Early Work

Scenes of Military Life

inset: Theatrical Life in Paris

A Passion for the Theater

Embarkation for Cythera

Inset: Art and Fashion

Fees galantes The Draftsman

Nature, Landscape, Children, Dogs

Last Years and Legacy

Chronology

Glossar

Selected Bibliography

Picture Credits