Arrivals/Departures

Artists have long used arrival and departure scenes as catalysts for dramatic action, from depictions of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt to Antoine Watteau's The Embarkation for Cythera (1717), an ambiguous allegory depicting a festive party leaving for an island that is the birthplace of the goddess of love. This category includes both direct depictions of arrivals and departures, and more conceptual works that focus on comings and goings, greetings and farewells.