Description and analysis of the painting by Jean Honore Fragonard “Happy opportunities for a swing. Jean Honore Fragonard

Jean Honore Fragonard. Swing. 1767 Wallace Collection, London

There is not always a mood to contemplate pictures with deep meaning. Sometimes you want something light and airy. So to speak, a picturesque dessert. Like marshmallow creme brulee. Or whipped cream with berry syrup.

The most "dessert" paintings are, of course, works in the Rococo style.

And the most famous of them is Jean-Honore Fragonard's "Swing" (1732-1806). A girl in a peach dress is like a strawberry on a lush meringue and cream cake.

What is the value of Fragonard's "Swing"

You should not refer to the "Swing" as something uniquely decorative. Although I myself, a couple of years ago, snorted at the sight of works in, considering them empty and not worth my attention.

It's important to take everything in context. And "Swing" is a picturesque response to the mores of the French society of the 18th century.

So the picture can be interesting at least as a witness to what was going on in the minds of the then aristocracy.

We can condemn them for the superficiality of their interests. For excessive obsession with flirting. On excessive embellishment.

And what can we say about the freedom of morals, when the presence of a lover or mistress is not something that was the norm, but downright from the series “it's a shame not to have”.

"Swing" and the Rococo Phenomenon

Agree, the Rococo phenomenon is unique. Before him, it was baroque. It was from him that Rococo inherited splendor, detail, emotionality.

But Rococo exaggerated all this and made it completely cute and sugary. Emotions were crushed, however, as were the details. A bright colors brightened, turning into such as “the color of the thigh of an excited Venus” or the color “Grey linen - love without end”.

Oh, so much sugar! Something tells me who doesn't like sweets doesn't like rococo 😉.

And all this only 200 years later! When spiritual enlightenment, erudition and wisdom of deeds and words were valued above all else.

This is how different a person can be! When values ​​and tastes can change like that. And they will change. The Rococo era (in France) will be blown away by the revolution at the end of the 18th century.

In the meantime, the whole "philosophy" of Rococo fit in the "Swing" by Fragonard.

The uncomplicated plot of "Swing"

A beautiful, sweet girl is rocked by an elderly spouse. And a young, rosy-cheeked admirer sits in ecstasy in a wild rose bush. After all, he opens up such a piquant look.

The lady does not mind, on the contrary, she throws her leg even higher, so that the shoe flew in an unknown direction.

And the husband, meanwhile, does not even suspect that his wife is already cheating on him in his thoughts. And he is clearly not behaving like a virtuous person.

And where would it be without the support of the ancient gods. After all, in Ancient Rome morals were worse.

Opposite the young lady is the statue of Falcone "The Threatening Cupid". With one hand, he shows a gesture of either "Ai-ai-ai" or "Shh." But right hand he reaches for the arrows in his quiver. Intending to shoot at the already intended victim.

Fly in the ointment in Fragonard's "Swing"

It would seem that the picture is full of idleness and frivolity. But to be honest, I'm confused by the garden in which the events take place. An old, knotty tree with very crooked and even ugly branches rather resemble some kind of cracks.

The greenery swirls so strongly, as if everything is happening in an impenetrable thicket, and not in a garden. The trees create such a dense crown that it is very dark “inside” the picture, not counting the gap in the middle, into which the young lady on the swing “hit”.

Why did Fragonard choose this setting? Why not depict a classic French garden with trimmed trees, where everything is lit by the sun?

Wild forest Fragonard's teacher, François Boucher, even looks more well-groomed than this park.

As if Fragonard is trying to bring down excessive sweetness. Make a painting mean more than just decorative work to please the eyes.

Perhaps Fragonard understood that such behavior, no matter how welcomed by society, does not actually make anyone happy. And even now, intending to "set the horns" to her husband, the girl is gathering clouds around herself. Darkness descends on all three.

No wonder the "Swing" became a cult work. It is she who is most often remembered when it comes to Rococo. Apparently due to the fact that it is not as superficial as most of the works of mediocre masters.

The fate of Fragonard's "Swing"

The Rococo era will collapse in an instant under the onslaught of a revolution with completely different demands on art. And people like Fragonard will have a hard time. He will die in poverty, forgotten by everyone.

And his "Swing" will hang in one private collection, then in another. And only in 1900 the public will see them in a gallery in London, in the Wallace Collection.

By that time the revolution will be far behind us. And the picture will very conveniently fit into the related era of Modern. Remember, these are numerous flowers, curlicues and pretty girls?

GBOU Gymnasium №405

Painting by Fragonard

"Happy Swing Opportunities"

The work of a student of 11 "B" class

Erdakova Alina

Teacher:

Dudkina Natalia Vsevolodovna

St. Petersburg, 2013

Painting Jean Honore Fragonard"Happy Swing Opportunities", written in 1765-1772, is one of the most famous works this great artist. This painting, written with mischief, has become a real symbol french painting XVIII century.

One cannot but agree with the genius of this work, because at first glance the scene of the entertainment of young aristocrats, which at first glance seems to be only captured in motion, turns out, thanks to the rich coloring, to a charming vision. That is why I chose this painting for this work.

Information about the author of the work

Jean Honore Fragonard (1732 - 1806) - famous French artist of the second halfXVIIIV., a brilliant painter and draftsman, a fine colorist; worked on engravings and was engaged in the design of books. left great heritage(about 500 paintings and about 1000 drawings), worked in domestic genre, painted gallant scenes, landscapes, portraits.

Fragonard was born in 1732 in Grasse to a family of glove makers. Having moved to Paris, in 1747 he entered the studio of Jean-B.S. Chardin (1699 - 1779), an artist who worked in the genre of everyday life and the genre of still life. After studying with Chardin for 6 months, Fragonard moved to the workshop of Francois Boucher (1703 - 1770), an artist of a bright decorative talent in the Rococo style, whose work became the starting point in the development of Fragonard's work.

In the 60s and 70s, he painted a lot and intensively: paintings with views of Italy, gallant scenes, compositions on the themes of the poem by Torquato Tasso, portraits. To enter the Academy of Fine Arts, Fragonard created paintings in historical genre, received the title of academician, and his painting was acquired for the collection of King Louis XV.

However, shortly thereafter, he stopped historical background painting and, following the tastes of the era, began to paint idealistic canvases and pastorals in the spirit of Watteau and Boucher. His works came into great fashion and were sold at high price which made him earn good means. But the revolution that broke out ruined it, and classicism, a new style in french art, deprived him of his former popularity.

In 1793 Fragonard left Paris for Grasse. IN early XIX century, he returned to Paris, where he died in 1806, almost completely forgotten.

The history of the creation of the work

The history of the creation of "Swing" is very interesting.

Gabriel François Doyen, a respected painter, was invited to his place by a certain noble person(I think it was one of the richest people France - the financier Saint-Julien). The invitation came to the artist just a few days after the appearance in the Salon of his painting "Saint Genevieve".

The memoirs of a contemporary give us Doyen's direct speech: "He (the customer) was in his" bachelor apartment "with his beloved ... He began with courtesies and praises, and ended up dreaming of ordering me a painting. "I wish you they depicted Madame on a swing that the bishop swings. And you will place me in such a way that I can see the legs of this lovely creature - and the more you want to bring gaiety into this work, the better it will be. "I confess," said Doyen, "that this is a proposal that I should not have to expect in view of the nature of the motive underlying it, at first confused me and made me literally numb.

However, I recovered quickly enough to answer almost immediately: "Ah, monsieur, you must add to your plan Madame's shoes, which flew into the air and were picked up by cupids." But, since I was very far from wanting to write on such a subject, so opposite to the genre in which I work, I sent this gentleman to Monsieur Fragonard, who accepted the commission and is now busy creating this strange work.

In the painting by Fragonard, the bishop turned into a certain young man, but the customer himself is really depicted in the pose he wanted. The shoe (albeit one) really flies into the air, but the cupid does not pick it up. But cupids still exist - in the form of park sculptures: cupids with a jug and Falcone's Threatening Cupid.

Belonging of the work to the cultural and historical era,

style, flow

It was in the painting of Fragonard that the Rococo style was most fully embodied.–with its powder, perfume and skillful ingenuity, combined with a magnificent finish.

The meaning of the name

Painting other than neutral title"Swing", has another, more playful, –

Pastoral canvases are diverse - love scenes, spicy scenes in parks and boudoirs. They convey the richness of shades of real sensual impressions from life, the colors of nature, the beauty of life and, at the same time, they are ephemeral and theatrical, like all rococo art, in which grace, lightness, thoughtlessness, everything exotic are valued.

Artistic features and means of expression

The picture is just as unusually expressive."Happy Seesaw Opportunities". At first glance, this is just a sketch of the entertainment of young aristocrats caught in the movement. true master composition, Fragonard shows the figures of the lady and the gentleman in complex angles, their movements are conveyed surprisingly accurately.

From the girl coquettishly taking off on a swing and staring at the graceful legs of this lovely creature, the gentleman radiates grace and gaiety. Exquisite colors based on a combination of dominant tones pink dress ladies and the emerald tone of the dense greenery of the park.

If the garden looks slightly "blurred", then on the carefully written dress of the charmer you can see any, even the most small detail. Fragonard uses here a rare technique for himself– he paints the figure of a girl with a dry brush, refusing thick, smooth strokes, characteristic of most of his paintings. Sparkling highlights and costume details such as the necklace, dress bodice and lace are painted in the impasto technique. .

With amazing ease and grace, the artist depicts an extremely complex pose of a model leaning back. The movement of the swing is emphasized by light shadows, which at the same time draw the viewer's attention to the graceful gesture of the girl's hands and her glowing eyes, shining brightly from the shadow that the coquettish hat casts on her face. Skillfully combining all these details, Fragonard creates a lively and vibrant scene.

Fragments and details

A lovely girl with flirtatious ease tosses a graceful shoe high, swinging on a swing in a magnificent park. We can almost hear the rustle of petticoats as her lover gazes up at her from below. Girl in a shining stream sunlight is the focus of the composition. The porcelain perfection of her figure, her pink dress and her rapid upward movement draw the attention of the viewer and the eyes of her lover to her.

The girl herself is written, of course, without pretension to the depth of the characterization; in her eyes and smile only an expression of fright and mischief flickers. Bishop Fragonard replaced a more modest figure, and admiring the "charming creature" is depicted as a very young gentleman. A pink shoe flies into the air (only one), but the cupids have turned into marble sculptures, as if contemplating what is happening.

The picture is small. Painting size 81 x 64 cm, oil on canvas.

The fate of the work Location

The painting "Happy Seesaw Opportunities" is currently in the Wallace Collection, London. This is a relatively small (about 5,500 exhibits), but rare in terms of selection and quality of items, private Art Museum in London's Marylebone.

At the crossroads of opinions

This painting by Fragonard takes key place not only in the history of gallant culture XVIII century, but also in the history of visuality and is directly related to the Enlightenment reform of vision.

A plump, ruddy dandy with sparkling eyes, witty, charming, invariably friendly and cheerful, Fragonard was a true son of the gallant XVIII century. Nature endowed him with talent, imagination and independent disposition.

The artist became famous for creating canvases with love, gracefully frivolous scenes that brilliantly expressed the sophistication of the Rococo style. The theme of love, lyricism and eroticism, tender pastel shades, details like puffy flying skirts - all this is typical of the rococo style - art designed primarily to please the eye.

Today we take a closer look at one of his most famous paintings.SWING.

Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) / Swing (1767)

This frivolous, bright, daring masterpiece by Fragonard has become a real symbol of French painting of the 18th century.

THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE "SWING" IS VERY INTERESTING

It began with a piquant episode, which we know about thanks to the notes of a contemporary.
So, Gabriel Francois Doyen, a venerable painter who became famous for his historical canvases, a member of the Academy since 1759, was invited by a certain noble person (it is believed that he was one of the richest people in France - the financier Saint-Julien).

The invitation came to the artist just a few days after the appearance in the Salon of his painting "Saint Genevieve".
The memoirs of a contemporary give us Doyen's direct speech: "He (the customer) was in his" bachelor apartment "with his beloved ... He began with courtesies and praises, and ended up dreaming of commissioning me a painting.

“I would like you to portray Madame (pointing to your mistress) on a swing that the bishop swings. And you will place me in such a way that I can see the legs of this lovely creature - and the more you want to add gaiety to this work, the better it will be."

I confess, - said Doyen, - that this proposal, which I should not have expected in any way in view of the nature of the motive underlying it, at first confused me and made me literally numb. However, I recovered quickly enough to answer almost immediately: "Ah, monsieur, you must add to your plan Madame's shoes, which flew into the air and were picked up by cupids."

But, as I was very far from wanting to write on such a subject, so opposite to the genre in which I work, I sent this gentleman to Monsieur Fragonard, who accepted the commission and is now busy creating this strange work.

This " strange work became one of Fragonard's masterpieces . He very gracefully got out of the difficult situation in which his "whimsical" customer put him.

The artist replaced the bishop with a less piquant figure of an old servant (or the beauty's husband?), and the happy owner of the "madame" himself is depicted as a very young gentleman (although in reality, of course, he was not one).

Unfortunately, in the memoirs of a contemporary there is no continuation of the story of "Swing", and we do not know how Saint-Julien assessed Fragonard's work. But, probably, he should have liked her, because the "legs of a lovely creature" are visible in every detail - right down to the pink garter on a boiled white stocking.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURE

The plot of this charming picture, so characteristic of the artist's work, is playfully erotic. The young beauty, taking off on a swing, throws off her shoe in selfless rapture. From below, from behind the bushes, her lover admires the girl.

Against the backdrop of the dense greenery of the garden, the magnificent silhouette of the pink dress of the young charm moves; it swells and scatters from the movement of the swing. This coral spot shines with iridescent colorful nuances.

In the game of sun glare stone god love Cupid seems alive. Pressing his finger to his lips, he seems to be asking us not to betray the baron lurking in the bushes.

The pedestal of the statue of Cupid is decorated with a classical relief depicting the three graces, ancient goddesses beauty. Two embraced cupids riding a dolphin gracefully echo the love theme.

Pale pink dress rocking on the girl's swing stands out brightly against the background of the old garden shrouded in misty haze. The green-blue color of the foliage looks somewhat unnatural (although, perhaps, it is this picture that he gives a special charm to), and in his further works Fragonard no longer resorted to such color delights.
If the garden looks a little "blurred", then on the carefully drawn dress of the charmer, you can see any, even the smallest detail. Fragonard uses here a technique rare for himself - he paints the figure of a girl with a dry brush, refusing thick, smooth strokes that are characteristic of most of his paintings. Sparkling highlights and costume details such as the necklace, dress bodice and lace are painted using the impasto technique.
With amazing ease and grace, the artist depicts an extremely complex pose of a model leaning back.

The movement of the swing is emphasized by light shadows, which at the same time draw the viewer's attention to the graceful gesture of the girl's hands and her glowing eyes, shining brightly from the shadow that the coquettish hat casts on her face. Skillfully combining all these details, Fragonard creates a lively, bright and really seductive scene.

Baron Saint-Julien, apparently, did not show the picture painted for him to the public for quite a long time, and it became widely known only after an engraving was made from it in 1782.

THE THEME OF THE SWING IS REFLECTED IN THE WORKS OF OTHER ARTISTS

Nicholas Bogdanov-Belsky. On the swing.

Nicola Lancre. Girl on a forest swing

Tojetti Virgilio "Theswing"

Francisco Goya. On swing

J.R. Wegelin. On the swing

Louis Icart.swing"

Edwin Thomas Roberts. "Girl On A"swing"

Valery Pervuninsky. Swing

August Renoir. On the swing

Venitsianov A G. Girl on a swing

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky "Two girls onswing"

Andrei Markin. Swing

Irina Kotova. Spring

Oleg Chubakov. Swing

A. Gunin. On the autumn swing

Max Ginsburg Illustrations

Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) was a great French painter. His works are mythological, historical and genre scenes rococo and neoclassicism. During his creative and fruitful life, he created more than 550 paintings, but among these paintings there are works that are especially unusual and represent the author's talent in the best light. One of these paintings is "Swing".

« Swing» Jean-Honoré Fragonard is also called « Happy accidents of the swing". It was painted in 1767, oil on canvas. 81 x 65 cm. The painting is currently in the Wallace Collection in London. This work is set as an example of such a genre as - gallant painting. Ladies and gentlemen, romanticized images and gestures, mythological images and so on. Among other things, this picture is distinguished by a special piquancy of the moment, and from that it seems cheerful and light.

The painting was commissioned by Baron Saint-Julien. Initially, he turned to the artist Gabriel François Doyen. Here is what Doyen himself said about the very order that was later delegated: “Would you believe, a few days after the appearance of my painting “Saint Genevieve” in the Salon, one noble person sent for me to order a painting for me ... He was in his “bachelor apartment ”with his beloved ... He began with courtesies and praises, and ended by saying that he wanted to commission a painting for me ...“ I would like you to portray Madame (pointing to your mistress) on a swing that the bishop swings. And you will place me in such a way that I can see the legs of this lovely creature; and the more you want to bring gaiety into this work, the better it will be. I confess, - said Doyen, - that this proposal, which I should not have expected in any way in view of the nature of the motive underlying it, at first confused me and made me literally numb. However, I recovered quickly enough to answer almost immediately: “Ah, monsieur, you must add to your plan Madame’s shoes, which flew into the air and were picked up by cupids.” Doyen later refused the order and recommended Fragonard.

This picture differs not only in its interesting plot and composition. The viewer is drawn inside the picture by the dense greenery of the garden, which, although it serves as a backdrop for the central plot, is nevertheless drawn so amazingly that it completely captures. Trees, interweaving of branches, dense foliage, all this is so majestic and grandiose, and at the same time light and airy, that the park itself with its huge forms looks more like a cluster of thick clouds in which the action takes place. Sunlight in the depths of the garden throws bright rays on the young lady and further draws the viewer into the picture.

Seesaw (1767), Wallace Collection, London
Painting french artist Jean Honore Fragonard "Happy Opportunities of the Swing". Painting size 81 x 64 cm, oil on canvas. This widely famous painting the painter is often referred to simply as "The Swing". In the autumn of 1761, Fragonard returned to Paris with the Abbé Saint-Non. The artist's work during this period is particularly intense. Fragonard paints landscapes, gallant and genre scenes, portraits, decorative compositions and canvases based on plots from the famous Italian writer Torquato Tasso's poem "Jerusalem Liberated".

This bright, daring masterpiece by Fragonard has become a real symbol of French painting of the 18th century. The painting was commissioned to the artist by the financier Saint-Julien. Fragonard brilliantly coped with the order, creating a composition, every detail of which is imbued with subtle grace and dynamism.
The history of the creation of "Swing" is very interesting. It began with a piquant episode, which we know about thanks to the notes of a contemporary.
So, Gabriel Francois Doyen, a venerable painter who became famous for his historical canvases, a member of the Academy since 1759, was invited by a certain noble person (it is believed that he was one of the richest people in France - the financier Saint-Julien). The invitation came to the artist just a few days after the appearance in the Salon of his painting "Saint Genevieve".
... further - in more detail ...

The memoirs of a contemporary give us Doyen’s direct speech: “He (the customer) was in his“ bachelor apartment ”with his beloved ... He began with courtesies and praises, and ended up dreaming of ordering me a painting. “I would like you to portray Madame (pointing to your mistress) on a swing that the bishop is swinging. And you will place me in such a way that I can see the legs of this lovely creature - and the more you want to bring gaiety into this work, the better it will be. I confess, - said Doyen, - that this proposal, which I should not have expected in any way in view of the nature of the motive underlying it, at first confused me and made me literally numb. However, I recovered quickly enough to answer almost immediately: "Ah, monsieur, you must add to your plan Madame's shoes, which flew into the air and were picked up by cupids." But, since I was very far from wanting to write on such a subject, so opposite to the genre in which I work, I sent this gentleman to Monsieur Fragonard, who accepted the commission and is now busy creating this strange work.
This "strange work" became one of Fragonard's masterpieces. He very gracefully got out of the difficult situation in which his "whimsical" customer put him. The artist replaced the bishop with a less piquant figure of an old servant (or the beauty's husband?), and the happy owner of the "madame" himself is depicted as a very young gentleman (although in reality, of course, he was not one).

One of the richest financiers in France, Baron Saint-Julien once wanted to please his mistress. Directly into their secret dating nest, he invited the artist, who was just at the zenith of fame after the successful presentation at the Salon of a painting on a religious theme “The Miracle in the Chapel of St. Genevieve”, Gabriel François Doyen. Not at all embarrassed by the indecency of the situation, Saint-Julien began to express the idea: “I want you to portray Madame on a swing that the bishop is swinging. Well, place me on the canvas so that I can see the legs of this charming creature!


Doyen literally froze at the blatant obscenity of the proposal. How?! To him, the acknowledged master high genre, undertake to write a kept woman? Yes, and in such an ambiguous entourage! For a moment, the artist overpowered the moralist in him, and Doyen noticed how a shoe soared into the air would have been out of place in the picture, and cupids would have rushed to catch it. But then he realized: no, this is contrary to his principles! He was about to slam the door in insult, when it suddenly dawned on him: after all, you can forward the order to Fragonard. Doyen was jarred by the undeserved, as it seemed to him, popularity of Fragonard, this frivolous troubadour of frivolity. And, sending the customer to him, Doyen is so in a sophisticated way demonstrated his arrogant disgust, perhaps even wanted to humiliate the pride of a competitor. However, history has set priorities exactly the opposite: the name and work of Doyen are now known only to connoisseurs, while Fragonard's Swings are perceived as real symbol French culture.

Many years ago, Fragonard already wrote a gallant scene called "Swing". At that time he was a student of François Boucher and strove to imitate his brilliant mentor in everything. Comparing the early and late "Swings", you can see how Fragonard's skill has increased, how much more sophisticated his compositional capabilities have become, the brush is more virtuoso, the coloring is more refined.










Against the background of the dense vegetation of the garden (the very riot of greenery emphasizes the idea of ​​carnal earthly joys), a round-faced beauty soars on a swing. Someone of indeterminate age - perhaps a servant or even the husband of a coquette - pulls the rope, swinging the swing, and on the other hand, her happy lover lurks behind the hedge. The piquancy of the situation is not only in the fact that he observes graceful legs, white stockings and even a red garter on one of them, but also in the fact that the swing swinger does not even suspect the presence of a possible opponent nearby. The rosehip bush reliably hides it from prying eyes, and the sculptural cupid, standing on a pedestal, put his finger to his lips, thereby expressing his full assistance to the lovers. Based on such an arrangement actors, the picture began to be called "Happy Seesaw Opportunities".

Everything here is imbued with the erotic current of the Rococo style. And everything is subordinated to the whimsical characteristic of Rococo curved lines: a white and pink dress resembling a cloud foams with lace, the branches of trees gracefully bend and even the shoe seems to be flying along an ornate rocaille trajectory. We pronounce "rococo" - and immediately draw in the mind "Swing". We say "Happy opportunities ..." - and we mean "Fragonard".

Unfortunately, in the memoirs of a contemporary there is no continuation of the story of the Swing, and we do not know how Saint-Julien assessed Fragonard's work. But, probably, he should have liked her, because the “legs of a lovely creature” are visible in every detail - right down to the pink garter on a white stocking. And Fragonard brought a lot of “gaiety” and playful ease into this work.
In conclusion, we add that the picture, in addition to the neutral name "Swing", has another, more playful one - "Happy Swing Opportunities".

The soft pink dress of a girl swinging on a swing stands out brightly against the background of an old garden shrouded in misty haze. The green-blue color of the foliage looks somewhat mysterious and bewitching (although, perhaps, it is this picture that he gives a special charm to), and in his further works Fragonard no longer resorted to such color delights.
If the garden looks a little “blurred”, then on the carefully drawn dress of the charmer, you can see any, even the smallest detail. Fragonard uses here a technique rare for himself - he paints the figure of a girl with a dry brush, refusing thick, smooth strokes that are characteristic of most of his paintings. Sparkling highlights and costume details such as the necklace, dress bodice and lace are painted using the impasto technique.
With amazing ease and grace, the artist depicts an extremely complex pose of a model leaning back. The movement of the swing is emphasized by light shadows, which at the same time draw the viewer's attention to the graceful gesture of the girl's hands and her glowing eyes, shining brightly from the shadow that the coquettish hat casts on her face. Skillfully combining all these details, Fragonard creates a lively, bright and really seductive scene.

At the moment captured in the picture, the girl, being at the top of the swing trajectory, allows the lucky gentleman to look into the secrets of her dress, although such generosity turns into the loss of a shoe flying into the statue of Harpocrates - the ancient Greek god of silence and secrets. Chapeau bergere (a shepherd's hat) on the girl's head enhances the ironic and frivolous meaning of the picture, since in those days such hats were associated with the sedate nobility of the inhabitants of rural estates, attached to nature and unspoiled by urban temptations.

The painting's first owner may have been Marie-Francois-David Boyu de Saint-Julien, better known as the Baron de Saint-Julien (1713–1788). And the first official owner was the tax collector M.-F. Menage de Pressigny, after whose death in 1794 the painting became the property of the revolutionary government of France. Subsequently, the painting belonged to the Marquis de Rasin de Saint-Mar, and the next undisputed owner was Charles de Morny. After de Morny's death in 1865, the painting was bought at auction in Paris by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hartford, one of the founders of the Wallace Collection in London, where the painting is kept to this day.

The artist's works, filled with quivering emotionality, sensual bliss, a sense of the joy of being, are distinguished by exquisite decorative coloring, ease of painting style, smooth compositional rhythms (“Swing”, 1766, Wallace collection, London; “Feast in Saint-Cloud”, 1775, French Bank , Paris; "Sneak Kiss", State Hermitage, Saint Petersburg). Subtle chiaroscuro effects are characteristic of Fragonard's etchings and numerous drawings - studies of nature and landscapes, made in the technique of sanguine, bistre, and sometimes sepia. The connection with Rococo is manifested in sharply piquant and at the same time ironic situations (“The Date”, “The Chase”, 1771-1773, both paintings in the Frick collection, New York). The artist sought to convey the intense colors of the real world, loved the warm golden scale, the play of light.

Fragonard's style and manner are diverse, they changed, evolved from a decorative solution to a classical one, with a precise, elastic pattern characteristic of him and a local restrained color given within the boundaries of the form (“Latch!”, 1776, Louvre, Paris), then to a romantic , with his typical expressiveness of the brushstroke, picturesqueness (a series of portraits of the 1760s), subtlety of light and air effects.

In 1773-1774, Fragonard traveled around Italy, accompanying the rich farmer Bergeret as an artist. In Genoa, Florence, Rome, Fragonard makes many sketches street scenes, landscapes, architecture, types. The drawings of the second journey are made in the bistre technique with washout (lavis), sanguine, watercolor, lead and Italian pencils, and ink. In them, Fragonard proved himself to be one of the most brilliant graphic artists of the 18th century. Compared to the more thoughtful sketches of Villa D "Este, these sheets are light and airy, saturated with light.

The art of the artist Fragonard completed the eighteenth century, it was chamber, but was not intended only for boudoirs and alcoves. It anticipated the potential possibilities of painting in later times. And so the legacy of Fragonard was close to all the masters of the 18th and 19th centuries, who felt intercom with his paintings and drawings, glorifying the beauty and joy of life, raising art above the ordinary and light humor.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard is the last of the great rococo artists. What associations does it evoke in us? funny name? Elegance bordering on frivolity. Frivolity that does not reach vulgarity. Swings, spirits, kisses...

Fragonard (Fragonard Jean-Honore) Jean Honore (April 5, 1732, Grasse, Provence - August 22, 1806, Paris), french painter and engraver, the greatest master of the era of Louis XVI. He became famous for his virtuoso performances of gallant and domestic scenes in which the elegance of rococo is combined with fidelity to nature, the subtlety of light and air effects.
Fragonard comes from a haberdashery merchant family with Italian ancestors. The family moved to Paris in 1738 and from 1747 the boy worked as a clerk in a notary's office, but he soon realized his calling as a painter. From 1747 he studied in the workshop of F. Boucher, then for some time with J. B. Chardin and again with Boucher, who was gaining more and more fame. The latter appreciated his talent and singled out among the students. In 1752 for performance in the academic tradition history painting the canvas "Jeroboam worships idols" was awarded the first prize of the Roman competition, which gave the right to travel to Italy. But in 1752-56, Fragonard was still engaged among other “eleves protege” (“protected students”) at the school of the academic painter C. Van Loo: studying Louvre painting, anatomy, perspective, history, drawing from casts and from living life. At this time, he continues to get acquainted with the painting of Rembrandt, Watteau, Tiepolo, Ruisdael, Venetian colorists, Rubens, trying to master the principles of tonal painting.

The fact is that François was a tanner. His kid gloves were popular in Grasse, but the taste of the townspeople became more and more fastidious: the aroma of natural leather seemed too rough to them. Fragonard Sr. was one of the first to soak calfskins in rose oil, learned to give gloves the smell of sandalwood or vanilla. Gradually, from a glove maker, he turned into a successful perfumer, his fragrances were bought with pleasure by representatives of the Parisian high society. So the now famous Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse and the Parisian perfume museum of the same name bear the name of the artist, not only because in his paintings he sang elegance and luxury or glorified the city by the very fact of his birth, but also because without the contribution of Fragonard's father, Grasse could and not become the perfume capital.

Jean Honoré was 6 years old when, after his death, younger brother the family moved to Paris. At the age of 13, his father arranged Fragonard as an assistant clerk in a notary's office - he clearly did not want Jean Honore to repeat his path as a leather tanner. But the young Fragonard had difficulty delving into the intricacies of jurisprudence. All day long he did nothing but draw the employees and visitors of the office. In the end, his boss was tired of this and he suggested to his father: “Do you want me to attach your boy to the workshop of Monsieur Boucher?”

One could only dream of this. Francois Boucher was the most fashionable and most sought-after artist in the capital, the decorator of the royal chambers and the favorite artist of the all-powerful Madame Pompadour. Boucher stated that Fragonard is certainly a capable young man, but he lacks experience, so for now it is better for him to work out in Chardin's studio.

The remarkable genre painter Chardin was reputed to be a decent and very modest man. He was considered an excellent teacher, but it is hard to imagine that the temperamental (he was from Provence, after all!), ardent and still very young Fragonard could seriously get carried away by the quiet charm of Chardin's chamber genre scenes - "The Cook" or "Laundress". Fragonard cleaned the master's palette and copied his work without inspiration, and after some six months, Boucher took him back, noting that Fragonard still received many of the necessary skills.

To study and work under Boucher for Fragonard turned out to be happiness. Unbridled decorativeness, ingenuity and constant improvisation, sensuality and hedonism of the teacher's painting - all this Fragonard felt as his own element. He so talentedly mimicked the style of a teacher that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where Boucher is and where Fragonard is.

Looking ahead, we can say that the Rococo style found its highest expression in Fragonard and its end. The artist became the direct heir of the French Rococo virtuosos of two previous generations- Antoine Watteau and Francois Boucher. Fragonard did not seek to adopt the melancholic refinement and psychologism of Watteau, but more than compensated for them with his infectious, sparkling cheerfulness. He was inferior to Bush in decorativeness, but he won in the expression and ingenuity of painting.

At the age of 20, Fragonard received the Grand Prix of an academic competition for historical picture Jeroboam offering sacrifices to idols. This meant that he could be sent to study at the French Academy in Rome. But before that, Fragonard was obliged to take a course at the so-called School of Protected Students, which was led by Karl Vanloo. Another 4 years were spent on improving the knowledge of anatomy, drawing and coloring.

Finally, in 1756, Fragonard ended up in Rome. There he became friends with another pensioner of the Academy - the artist Hubert Robert, the future "master of the ruins." Together they study Roman antiquities, travel around Italy and get acquainted with private collections of French aristocrats. It's funny, but only in Italy, Fragonard was able to appreciate all the picturesque appeal of ... washing - something that he had once frivolously rejected from Chardin. Now, during their walks, Fragonard and Robert watched in fascination as the Italian laundresses washed in antique pools. The dilapidated abandoned villas offered the same exotic spectacle: women rinsed their laundry right in the fountains and hung it on trees and statues. Laundry surrounded by ruins - such is the plot of Fragonard's Laundresses.

Fragonard has always been the soul of the company. He was distinguished by a light and cheerful disposition, courtesy and sense of humor. Everyone loved the artist and called him simply "Frago". When the retirement period expired and Fragonard had to return to Paris, a important character- Abbé de Saint-Non. He was rich, fond of engraving, but most of all he was known as a philanthropist. Thanks to his generosity, Fragonard traveled all over Italy from Ferrara to Florence, from Verona to Venice and from Vicenza to Piacenza. Frago returned to Paris famous artist.

The fact that his true vocation is paintings of a playful nature, Fragonard realized almost immediately. However, the official career required to prove himself in a serious genre. To this end, he painted the painting "Korez and Calleroy", but then he still changed his mind about becoming an academician. Private practice and commercial commissions in the time of Fragonard became more profitable than the difficult climb up the hierarchical ladder under the patronage of the state.

Fragonard's style - light, sophisticated, festive - finds many admirers. The favorite of the king, the Marquis Dubarry, orders him "Adventure in Love" - ​​a series of several huge paintings. Fragonard takes orders for portraits and landscapes. But they do not become the iconic things of the artist. Most of all, Fragonard is famous for his spicy scenes - gallant ("Sneak Kiss", "Swing") or frankly erotic ("Tight shirt", "Girl with a dog", "Latch").

In 1769, Fragonard met Marie Anna Gerard. They had a lot in common. Just like Fragonard, the girl came from Paris from Grasse. Her father was a perfumer. And she also dreamed of making money with her art - Marie Anna painted watercolors. Fragonard offered to give the pretty watercolorist a few lessons, and she, with purely French spontaneity, immediately moved to live with him. When several months remained before the birth of their daughter Rosalie, Anna Marie and Jean Honore got married.

Contemporaries claim that their marriage was quite happy. After the daughter, another son, Alexander-Evariste, was born in the family, who also became a successful artist. However, Anna Marie herself (and with the best of intentions) violated the serenity of the family idyll when she invited her younger sister- 14-year-old Marguerite Gerard. Marguerite became the most capable and diligent student of Fragonard, by the age of 24 she was considered one of the most famous French artists. Of course, she and Fragonard, who were separated by an almost 30-year age difference, would never be able to prove that only work connected them. Anna Marie will suffer from jealousy. But even after the death of her sister and her husband, Marguerite will never confirm that there was a love affair between her and Fragonard.

And then the Revolution broke out in France. From the point of view of its ideologists, all of Fragonard's work, dedicated to indulging the whims of the aristocracy, was perceived as the embodiment of excesses and excesses associated with the decay of the aristocracy and the monarchy. Fragonard's student Jacques-Louis David defended his teacher during the massacres and found him a position in the administration of the Louvre.

On a bright August day in 1806, a plump, handsome old man went into one of the Parisian pastry shops and ordered ice cream. The sun warmed up, and the visitor dozed off. The cafe employees knew that this was their regular, Monsieur Fragonard, and therefore did not wake him up, let him rest. After a couple of hours it became clear that the visitor was not sleeping - he was dead. Death in the gentle rays of the sun, waiting for ice cream - it's hard to imagine more suitable end For last artist rococo era.