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Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo 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 A ''virelai'' is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is ...
, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings (not counting drawings and etchings), of which only five are dated. Among his most popular works are
genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre), a form of genre art, depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity can be attached ...
s 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, ...
.


Biography

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was born at Grasse,
Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...
, the son of François Fragonard, a glover, and Françoise Petit. Fragonard was articled to a Paris notary 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 François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegorie ...
. Boucher recognized the youth's rare gifts but, disinclined to waste his time with one so inexperienced, sent him to
Chardin Chardin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, (1699–1779), French painter noted for his still life works * Jean Chardin, (1643–1713), French jeweller and traveller, author of ''The Trave ...
'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 vi ...
. 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 philosophy, ...
, Fragonard gained the Prix de Rome 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 Carle or Charles-André van Loo (; 15 February 1705 – 15 July 1765) was a French painter, son of the painter Louis-Abraham van Loo, a younger brother of Jean-Baptiste van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo. He was the most famous member of a ...
. In the year preceding his departure he painted the ''Christ washing the Feet of the Apostles'' now at
Grasse Cathedral Grasse Cathedral, now the Church of Notre-Dame-du-Puy (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Puy de Grasse), is a 12th-century Roman Catholic church located in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France. The former cathedral is in the Romanesque architectura ...
. On 17 September 1756, he took up his abode at the French Academy in Rome, then presided over by
Charles-Joseph Natoire Charles-Joseph Natoire (3 March 1700 – 23 August 1777) was a French painter in the Rococo manner, a pupil of François Lemoyne and director of the French Academy in Rome, 1751–1775. Considered during his lifetime the equal of François Bouch ...
. 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 Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consi ...
, 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 In Greek mythology, the name Coresus ( Ancient Greek: Κόρησος) may refer to: *Coresus, an autochthon, who, together with Ephesus (son of Cayster), was believed to have founded the sanctuary of the Ephesian Artemis. The Amazons were so close ...
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 prominen ...
, 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'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), and his decorations for the apartments of
Mme du Barry Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly being ...
and the dancer Madeleine Guimard. The portrait of Diderot (1769) has recently had its attribution to Fragonard called into question. A lukewarm response to these series of ambitious works induced Fragonard to abandon Rococo and to experiment with
Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. ...
. 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, Prague, Dresden, Frankfurt and Strasbourg. Back in Paris Marguerite Gérard, 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, p ...
(1780–1850), who eventually became a talented painter and sculptor. The French Revolution deprived Fragonard of his private patrons: they were either guillotined 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 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 (particularly his grand niece,
Berthe Morisot Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (; January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was a French painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. In 1864, Morisot exhibited for the first time in the highly es ...
, and Renoir) is undoubtable. Fragonard's paintings, alongside those of
François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegorie ...
, 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 in the Wallace Collection in London. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the rococo 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. Fr ...
'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 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 Gabriel François Doyen (; 1726 – 5 June 1806) was a French painter who was born in Paris. He became an artist against his father's wishes, becoming a pupil at the age of twelve of Charles-André van Loo. Making rapid progress, he obtain ...
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, Toledo, Ohio File:Fragonard, The See-Saw.jpg, '' The See-Saw'', 1750–1752, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid File:Fragonnard Naissance de Vénus.JPG, '' The Birth of Venus'', 1753–1755, Musée Grobet-Labadié, Marseille File:Fragonard musical.jpg, ''The Musical Contest'', 1754–55, Wallace Collection, London File:Fragonard coresus sacrificing himselt to save callirhoe.jpg, '' Coresus Sacrificing himself to Save Callirhoe'', 1765, Louvre, Paris File:Las bañistas, por Jean-Honoré Fragonard.JPG, ''The Bathers'', c. 1765, Louvre, 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 The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...
File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Inspiration.jpg, ''Inspiration'', 1769, Louvre, Paris File:Denisdiderot.jpg, ''Portrait of a Man'', the so-called ''
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 prominen ...
,'' 1769, Louvre, Paris File:Fragonard - François-Henri d'Harcourt.jpg, ''Portrait of
François-Henri d'Harcourt François-Henri d'Harcourt (12 January 1726 – 22 July 1802) was a French general, duke and peer. He emigrated during the French Revolution, and he became a representative of Louis XVIII of France to the British government (1792–1800). Person ...
'', 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, 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 Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last '' maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly bein ...
), 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, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York File:Jean-Honoré Fragonard - The Stolen Kiss.jpg, '' The Stolen Kiss'', late 1780s, Hermitage Museum, 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 complet ...
, Detroit, 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. (''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 The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences ...
, 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 ...
, Paris, from 3 December 2003 to 8 March 2004. * ''Fragonard amoureux'', Musée du Luxembourg, 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.


See also

* Honoré Fragonard * History of painting * Western painting *''
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 ...
''


References and sources


References


Sources

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


Further reading

* * * * * * * *Milton W. Brown, George R. Collins, Beatrice Farwell, Jane G. Mahler and Margaretta Salinger, "Jean-Honoré Fragonard" in ''Encyclopedia of Painting: Painters and Paintings of the World from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day'', Myers S. Bernard (ed), Crown, 1955. pp182–83.


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