Why 'The Swing' is a masterpiece of Rococo?
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was one of the great artists of the Rococo period capturing the romance and lust, the grandeur, frivolity and “joie de vivre” of the 18th century aristocratic society. But, it was this painting, The Swing that became his greatest masterpiece and what would become synonymous with the Rococo Era.
The history of Rococo
Emerging from the Baroque period during the 1720-30’s, Rococo would become the major art movement of the 18th Century. Where Baroque was biblical and mythological in narrative, depicting scenes through rich contrasts of light and shadow whilst embracing a sense of grandeur and drama, Rococo could be argued as the complete opposite. Rococo paintings exuded in carefree opulence and were romantically visceral, light and airy with rich tones of nature contrasting against the pastel hues of their attire.
Rococo captured the frivolity and abundance of the aristocratic society. However, this over celebration of the rich and their arguably ‘ignorant’ lifestyle would also be the downfall of Rococo and what would lead into the Neoclassical era. But before the demise of Rococo, one artist was able to develop their style and hone their skills to become a notable master of the era with one painting. This painting would set this artist apart from the others of the era, making him and his painting an icon of the Rococo era.
The artist
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a french painter and protégé of Francois Boucher, who encouraged Fragonard to enter the Prix de Rome in 1752. Though Fragonard was not a student of the Academie Royale which you had to be to enter, Fragonard would go on to win this competition.
By 1765 Fragonard became a member of the Academie with his work ‘Coroesus Sacrificing Himself to Save Callirhoe’ (which can be found at The Louvre, Paris). Soon after however, Fragonard would further develop his style and choice of subject to that of a soft colour palette and a care-free spirit portrayed through his light brush strokes in order to capture scenes of intimacy and the exploration of voyeurism in a light-hearted and celebratory manner.
His most famous painting would go on to be the ‘Les Hasards heureux de l'escarpolette’ also known as ‘The Swing’.
The painting
Located at The Wallace Collection in Manchester Square London, the Swing on first glance is a beautiful contrast of deep rich greens and blues forming the backdrop to the central figure of a girl in a powdery soft peach pink dress, that billows around her as she plays on a swing while losing her slipper mid air.
But if we look closer the painting reveals so much more…
In the foreground we can see a man lying on the ground, a face of joy and appreciation hinted by the act of taking his hat off to the woman. This man is believed to be the one who commissioned the painting by Fragonard. It is believed he requested Fragonard to;
paint his mistress being pushed on a swing by a bishop with him in the foreground in a position to see her legs… and more…
Source: The Wallace Collection
The request was so outrageous that one artist had already turned the gentleman down but Fragonard took on the commission and here is where his journey as a painter changed direction to that of delicately painted ‘erotic’ scenes. The idea of a bishop being included in this scene is quite scandalous! We can see he is positioned in the shadows, probably unbeknownst of the sinful act happening on the other side of the garden right before his eyes. But when we look at the man in the shadows, he does not appear to look like a bishop… so who is he? Well some sources say he was the woman's elderly husband completely unaware of her infidelity with the young gentleman in the foreground. It could then be argued that they orchestrated the whole scene to see each other in her husbands presence and therefore depicts a scene of hiding in plain sight. Above the gentleman, we can see the statue of, what is believed to be, ‘The Menacing Cupid’ by Etienne-Maurice Falconet. And in the background between the woman and the elderly gentleman we can see two cupids wrestling a dolphin. Both statues would probably have been situated in such grand and luscious gardens of the time but it could also indicate that Fragonard wanted to represent and symbolise the beauty of love and the danger of being in love.
Fragonard took on this commission whole-heartedly, though the scene could be considered distasteful in the actions of the gentleman and woman on the swing, but he took the patience to capture the essence of a dangerous love. The setting is secluded with a deep green backdrop hinting at privacy with a glimpse of light hitting the woman making her the focal point in her beautiful peach pink dress blooming around her as she plays carelessly on the swing. The elderly gentleman is within the shadows of the painting hinting that he is also in the shadows with his relationship with the woman, he has no idea of what she is up to, right in front of him. The gentleman in the foreground is too, careless and joyful, enjoying this day and experience with his lover. Around them statues of cupids symbolise the ‘danger of love’ in this scenario and the little dog, believed to be the womans and elderly gentlemans, is up on his back legs appearing to bark at the scene before him… possibly unsettled with what is happening.
The conclusion
When you take in ‘The Swing’ painting as a whole, it can be argued it is quite unsettling. Before us is the scene of a dangerous love affair, depicting infidelity hidden in plain sight. The painting captures all the darkness of a forbidden love with the delicateness of its nature. Fragonard took on this painting knowing it would change the trajectory of his career. Whether it would be for better or worse, he was brave enough to paint what others were not prepared to do and in doing so created one of the most narratively rebellious but beautifully captured paintings of its time. Though the painting was commissioned, Fragonard added hidden subtleties in the cupids, lighting and choice of colours to open the painting up to personal interpretation by the viewer and thus cementing him as one of the greats from the Rococo era.
What do you take away from this painting? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below
Beautifully written and a joy to read ❤️ can't wait to read your pieces to come xx