High spirits: Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Swing, painted in 1767 Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) is most renowned for his saccharine, congenial depictions of the upper classes at play.
He was undoubtedly at his prime in the late Rococo era, a time synonymous with hedonistic freedom, and the pursuit of all things pleasurable and aesthetically agreeable.
The style emerged in France during the mid-18th century as a reflection of the gaudy embellishments that were then so popular in architecture and furniture. They were considered exceptionally stylish by the bourgeoisie and newly wealthy, who, as they surrounded themselves with all that was resplendent, sought paintings that demonstrated their refinement.
The pinnacle of full-blown Rococo style was the extraordinary Palace of Versailles, which came to be seen as the epitome of decadence and vulgar grandeur.
But then, the French Revolution arrived – bringing with it a brutal finale to the era of opulence.
Fragonard was never destined to be simply a painter of landscapes or classical scenes. From a young age, he led a charmed life. Born in 1732, he moved with his family from the South of France to Paris, where, even as a boy, his drawing abilities gained attention.
His talent led him to be introduced to the respected Rococo artist François Boucher, who, although impressed with the young boy’s abilities, was reluctant to take on someone so very inexperienced. To solve this problem, Fragonard was sent to apprentice at the studio of the still-life master Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, where he spent six months studying the artist’s sublime technique.
He returned to Boucher fully equipped. In fact, he was now so able that he adopted his new master’s methods both quickly and accurately. In little time, young Fragonard was entrusted with executing replicas of Boucher-style paintings.
Despite not being a pupil of the Paris Academy, Fragonard still managed to win the Prix de Rome in 1752 with his picture Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Golden Calf. As a result, he spent the next three years studying at the French Academy in Rome. During that time he toured Italy, making countless sketches of local scenery, the romantic gardens, grottos, fountains, terraces and temples around the country. These would prove of seminal importance to his later work.
He also grew to admire the masters of the Dutch and Flemish schools, and began to imitate their loose and vigorous brushstrokes.
From a self-portrait, at the Musée Fragonard, Grasse
In 1765 Fragonard finally earned his place at the Paris Academy with the exquisite painting Corésus et Callirhoé, which promptly made his name among the aristocratic set.
Whereas he had previously dithered between subjects that were religious or classical, the demand for faintly licentious scenes of love and voluptuousness from members of Louis XV’s flamboyant court meant that his work soon took a new direction. These became the pictures he would forever be associated with.
He managed to produce magnificent paintings within this unlikely brief, employing a tender use of colour and delicate brushwork to convey an atmosphere of intimacy and thinly veiled eroticism.
Meanwhile, he seemed to live a tranquil life. In 1769 he married Marie-Anne Gérard, a painter of miniatures, and later that same year had a daughter, who became one of his favourite models. In 1780, he had a son, too.
With the birth of his children, and as Fragonard aged, the focus of his painting began to shift towards more domestic scenes. Not long after, the lavishness of the court of Louis XVI came to an abrupt end with the French Revolution, and with it, Fragonard’s primary customer base and his reputation disappeared.
A year later, in 1790, he moved into the house of his cousin, which he decorated with a delightful series of panels known as Les Progrès de L’Amour dans le Coeur d’une Jeune Fille.
Despite his early popularity, Fragonard died in relative obscurity, his work ignored for half a century. Today he is recognised as the foremost of French Rococo artists, and, perhaps more importantly, as an unmistakable influence on the Impressionists, notably Renoir, and Fragonard’s grandniece, Berthe Morisot. His handling of colour and his expressive feathery brushstrokes can be traced directly to their work.
The Musical Contest, 1754–55
During his lifetime, Fragonard produced about 550 paintings, only five of which are dated. However, he is possibly most admired for The Swing (1767), now housed at the Wallace Collection in London.
Originally titled The Happy Accidents of the Swing, it is considered one of the masterworks of the Rococo era. A young woman, dressed in a billowing and fanciful pink dress, sits on a swing that is being pushed by her spouse.
From her frilled dress to the shoe flying off her foot, she is the very essence of frivolous abandon. A young gentleman concealed in the bushes catches a glimpse up the woman’s skirt as she swings forward, her husband blindly unaware of the affair going on between them.
It is a particularly engaging demonstration of Fragonard’s skills, turning a simplistic scene of idle pleasure into a painting of charged magnetism.
The work was commissioned by the notorious libertine Baron de St Julien as a portrait of his young mistress. Given its subject matter, other artists were nervous of getting involved, but Fragonard leapt at the opportunity. He was given specific instructions for the picture by the Baron: “Place me in a position where I can observe the legs of this charming girl.”
The painting is rich with symbolism – two cherubs below the swing appear unconcerned about the salacious actions taking place above, while a statue of Cupid to the left raises a finger to his lips, indicating the secrecy of the illicit relationship.
In many ways, the piece is a perfect summation of the Rococo movement – it depicts a moment that seems almost fleeting, but idyllically captures the aristocratic frivolity and high spirits of its time, before disaster struck.
