1 WatteausReturn from Cytheradepicts a For

beginning in the foreground. Janson claims that the meaning of the picture reads like a story, unfolding from left to right, which also informs us that they are about to board the boat: two lovers are still engaged in their amorous tryst; behind them another couple rises to follow a third pair back down the hill as the reluctant young woman casts a wistful look back at the goddess’ sacred grove. Watteau’s figures are slim and graceful; it appears that they move with the studied assurance of actors who

perspective. As time has progressed, art transformed from having specific moral meaning to having purely subjective meaning. During the Renaissance, art focused on biblical scenes portraying Christian ideals. While this is nothing unusual, it is key in determining what values people in that era appreciated. The theme that begins to emerge in the early Renaissance is the psychological state of the people depicted. Masaccio’s Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden is one of the earlier examples. The couple