Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings (not counting drawings and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

s), of which only five are dated. Among his most popular works are genre paintings conveying an atmosphere of intimacy and veiled

eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sc ...

Biography

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was born at

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal oc, Grassa in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region on the French Riviera. In 2017, the c ...

, Alpes-Maritimes, the son of François Fragonard, a glover, and Françoise Petit. Fragonard was articled to a Paris

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

when his father's circumstances became strained through unsuccessful speculations, but showed such talent and inclination for art that he was taken at the age of eighteen to François Boucher. Boucher recognized the youth's rare gifts but, disinclined to waste his time with one so inexperienced, sent him to Chardin's

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...

. Fragonard studied for six months under the great luminist, then returned more fully equipped to Boucher, whose style he soon acquired so completely that the master entrusted him with the execution of replicas of his paintings. Though not yet a student of the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, Fragonard gained the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 1752 with a painting of ''

Jeroboam Sacrificing to Idols ''Jeroboam Sacrificing to Idols'' (french: Jéroboam sacrifiant aux idoles) is a history painting by the French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, in oil on canvas. It won him the highly prestigious Prix de Rome for painting on 26 August 1752, sho ...

'', but before proceeding to Rome he continued to study for three years under Charles-André van Loo. In the year preceding his departure he painted the ''Christ washing the Feet of the Apostles'' now at Grasse Cathedral. On 17 September 1756, he took up his abode at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (french: Académie de France à Rome) is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in ...

, then presided over by Charles-Joseph Natoire. While at Rome, Fragonard contracted a friendship with a fellow painter,

Hubert Robert Hubert Robert (22 May 1733 – 15 April 1808) was a French painter in the school of Romanticism, noted especially for his landscape paintings and capricci, or semi-fictitious picturesque depictions of ruins in Italy and of France.Jean de Cayeux. ...

. In 1760, they toured Italy together, executing numerous sketches of local scenery. It was in these romantic gardens, with their fountains, grottos, temples and terraces, that Fragonard conceived the dreams which he was subsequently to render in his art. He also learned to admire the masters of the Dutch and Flemish schools ( Rubens, Hals, Rembrandt, Ruisdael), imitating their loose and vigorous brushstrokes. Added to this influence was the deep impression made upon his mind by the florid sumptuousness of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, whose works he had an opportunity to study in Venice before he returned to Paris in 1761. In 1765 his '' Coresus et Callirhoe'' secured his admission to the Academy. It was made the subject of a pompous (though not wholly serious) eulogy by

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the '' Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promi ...

, and was bought by the king, who had it reproduced at the Gobelins factory. Hitherto Fragonard had hesitated between religious, classic and other subjects; but now the demand of the wealthy art patrons of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

's pleasure-loving and licentious court turned him definitely towards those scenes of love and voluptuousness with which his name will ever be associated, and which are only made acceptable by the tender beauty of his color and the virtuosity of his facile brushwork; such works include the '' Blind Man's Bluff'' (''Le collin maillard''), ''Serment d'amour'' (Love Vow), ''Le Verrou'' ( The Bolt), ''La Culbute'' (The Tumble), ''La Chemise enlevée'' ( The Raised Chemise), and '' L'escarpolette'' (The Swing,

Wallace Collection The Wallace Collection is a museum in London occupying Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. It is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who built the extensive collection, along ...

), and his decorations for the apartments of Mme du Barry and the dancer

Madeleine Guimard Marie-Madeleine Guimard (27 December 1743 — 4 May 1816) was a French ballerina who dominated the Parisian stage during the reign of Louis XVI. For twenty-five years she was the star of the Paris Opera. She made herself even more famous by her lo ...

. The portrait of Diderot (1769) has recently had its attribution to Fragonard called into question. Chaumiére Italienne

A lukewarm response to these series of ambitious works induced Fragonard to abandon Rococo and to experiment with Neoclassicism. He married Marie-Anne Gérard, herself a painter of miniatures, (1745–1823) on 17 June 1769 and had a daughter, Rosalie Fragonard (1769–1788), who became one of his favourite models. In October 1773, he again went to Italy with Pierre-Jacques Onézyme Bergeret de Grancourt and his son, Pierre-Jacques Bergeret de Grancourt. In September 1774, he returned through

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

and Strasbourg. Back in Paris

Marguerite Gérard Marguerite Gérard (28 January 1761 in Grasse – 18 May 1837 in Paris) .Note that contrary to all other sources, the given death date is 1 January 1832, not 18 May 1837. was a successful French painter and printmaker working in the Rococo style. ...

, his wife's 14-year-old sister, became his student and assistant in 1778. In 1780, he had a son,

Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard Alexandre-Évariste Coccinelle Fragonard (26 October 1780 – 10 November 1850) was a French painter and sculptor in the troubadour style. He received his first training from his father and drew from him his piquant subjects and great facility ...

(1780–1850), who eventually became a talented painter and sculptor. The

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

deprived Fragonard of his private patrons: they were either

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...

d or exiled. The neglected painter deemed it prudent to leave Paris in 1790 and found shelter in the house of his cousin Alexandre Maubert at Grasse, which he decorated with the series of decorative panels known as the ''Les progrès de l'amour dans le cœur d'une jeune fille'', originally painted for Château du Barry. Fragonard - swing

Fragonard returned to Paris early in the nineteenth century, where he died in 1806, almost completely forgotten.

Reputation

For half a century or more Fragonard was so completely ignored that Wilhelm Lübke's 1873 art history volume omits mention of his name. Later re-evaluations have re-identified his position among the all-time masters of French painting. The influence of his handling of local colour and expressive, confident brushstroke on the

Impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

(particularly his grand niece, Berthe Morisot, and

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

) is undoubtable. Fragonard's paintings, alongside those of François Boucher, seem to sum up an era. One of Fragonard's most renowned paintings is '' The Swing'', also known as ''The Happy Accidents of the Swing'' (its original title), an

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

in the

in London. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

era, and is Fragonard's best known work. The painting portrays a young gentleman concealed in the bushes, observing a lady on swing being pushed by her spouse, who is standing in the background, hidden in the shadows, as he is unaware of the affair. As the lady swings forward, the young man gets a glimpse under her dress. According to

Charles Collé Charles Collé (14 April 1709 – 3 November 1783) was a French dramatist and songwriter. Biography The son of a notary, he was born in Paris. He became interested in the rhymes of Jean Heguanier, the most famous writer of couplets in Paris. F ...

's memoirs a young nobleman Although his identity was not unveiled by Collé, it has been thought that it was Marie-François-David Bollioud de Saint-Julien, baron of Argental (1713–1788), best known as Baron de Saint-Julien, the then

Receiver General A receiver general (or receiver-general) is an officer responsible for accepting payments on behalf of a government, and for making payments to a government on behalf of other parties. See also * Treasurer * Receiver General for Canada * Recei ...

of the French Clergy. However there is little evidence for this, according to Ingamells, 163–164. had requested this portrait of his mistress seated on a swing. He asked first Gabriel François Doyen to make this painting of him and his mistress. Not comfortable with this frivolous work, Doyen refused and passed on the commission to Fragonard.

Works

File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Blind-Man’s Buff - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Blind Man's Bluff'', 1750–1752,

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

, Toledo, Ohio File:Fragonard, The See-Saw.jpg, ''

The See-Saw ''The See-Saw'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by French Rococo artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard, created c.1750–1752 during the artist's early career. It is currently in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The painting forms a pair with another ...

'', 1750–1752,

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (in Spanish, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (), named after its founder), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Prado Museum on one of the city's main boulevards. I ...

, Madrid File:Fragonnard Naissance de Vénus.JPG, ''

The Birth of Venus ''The Birth of Venus'' ( it, Nascita di Venere ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea ...

'', 1753–1755, Musée Grobet-Labadié, Marseille File:Fragonard musical.jpg, ''The Musical Contest'', 1754–55,

, London File:Fragonard coresus sacrificing himselt to save callirhoe.jpg, '' Coresus Sacrificing himself to Save Callirhoe'', 1765,

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, Paris File:Las bañistas, por Jean-Honoré Fragonard.JPG, ''The Bathers'', c. 1765,

, Paris File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Aurora Triumphing over Night - 2013.62 - Museum of Fine Arts.jpg, ''Aurora Triumphing over Night'', c. 1755-56, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Inspiration.jpg, ''Inspiration'', 1769,

, Paris File:Denisdiderot.jpg, ''Portrait of a Man'', the so-called ''

,'' 1769,

, Paris File:Fragonard - François-Henri d'Harcourt.jpg, ''Portrait of François-Henri d'Harcourt'', c. 1769, Accademia Carrara di Belle Arti di Bergamo, Bergamo File:Jean Honore Fragonard The Love Letter.jpg, ''The Love Letter'', 1770,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Les Progrès de l'amour - Le rendez-vous - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Secret Meeting,'' 1771, (former collection of Madame Du Barry), Frick Collection, New York File:Jean Honoré Fragonard, The Visit to the Nursery, c. 1775, NGA 32685.jpg, ''The Visit to the Nursery'', c. 1775, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:Fragonard, The Reader.jpg, ''

A Young Girl Reading ''Young Girl Reading'', or ''The Reader'' (french: La Liseuse), is an 18th-century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It depicts an unidentified girl seated in profile, wearing a lemon yellow dress with white ruff collar and cuffs and purple ...

'', c. 1776, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:FRAGONARDsisters.jpg, ''Sisters'', after 1778,

. New York File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - The Stolen Kiss.jpg, ''

The Stolen Kiss ''The Stolen Kiss'' is a 1920 American silent romance drama film starring Constance Binney. Kenneth Webb directed. The Realart Company, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures, produced the film. A print is preserved at the British Film Institute, ...

'', late 1780s,

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest ...

, Saint Petersburg File:Jean Honoré Fragonard - The Grape Gatherer - 71.391 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg, ''The Grape Gatherer,'' 1754–1755,

Detroit Institute of Art The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation and expansion project complete ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Michigan File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - El sacrificio de Caliroe - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Callirhoe's Sacrifice''.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal acade ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

. (''ricordo'' from the large ''Coresus and Callirhoë'') File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Jeroboam Offering Sacrifice for the Idol - WGA08049.jpg, '' Jeroboam Offering Sacrifice for the Idol'', 1752, Beaux-Arts de Paris, Paris. File:The Beautiful Servant (Jean-Honoré Fragonard) - Nationalmuseum - 22465.tif, The Beautiful Servant, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Recent exhibitions

''Consuming Passion : Fragonard's Allegories of Love''
– Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, from 28 October 2007 to 21 January 2008.
''Fragonard''
– Jacquemart-André Museum, Paris, from 3 October 2007 to 13 January 2008.

– Caixa Forum, Barcelona, from 10 November 2006 to 11 February 2007. * ''Les Fragonard de Besançon'', Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'archéologie de Besançon, from 8 December 2006 to 2 April 2007
Official website
* ''Jean-Honoré Fragonard, dessins du Louvre'',

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, Paris, from 3 December 2003 to 8 March 2004. * ''Fragonard amoureux'',

Musée du Luxembourg The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' ...

, Paris, from 16 September 2015 to 24 January 2016
Official website
*
Fragonard’s Enterprise: The Artist and the Literature of Travel
' – Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, from 17 September 2015 to 4 January 2016.

References and sources

References

Sources

Books * * * * Articles and webpages * * * * * * *

External links

Web Gallery of Art: Jean-Honoré FragonardFragonard's Biography, Style and ArtworksJean-Honoré Fragonard's CatsBiography
a
Project Gutenberg
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fragonard, Jean-Honore 1732 births 1806 deaths People from Grasse 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters French printmakers Rococo painters Prix de Rome for painting École des Beaux-Arts alumni 18th-century French male artists