Indifferent (L'Indifférent)
c. 1730
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 27.6 x 18.6 cm (10 7/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ivan E. Phillips
Accession Number
1997.3.1
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of Art, where we encounter *Indifferent (L'Indifférent)*, an exquisite etching on laid paper from around 1730, created after the renowned French Rococo master Antoine Watteau (1684–1721). This print reproduces Watteau's celebrated painting of the same title, featuring a graceful young man in a theatrical pose, embodying the artist's signature *fête galante* style—elegant scenes of leisurely aristocracy infused with playful ambiguity and emotional detachment. The title itself evokes the figure's aloof demeanor, a hallmark of Watteau's exploration of human indiffe...