His most famous painting (The Swing) – Jean-Honore Fragonard

Jean-Honore Fragonard (April 5, 1732 – August 22, 1806) was a highly reputable French painter and printmaker. His creative ‘rococo’ style was elaborate and playful, with ‘genre paintings’ being his forte. Fragonard created more than 550 paintings, exclusive of the countless drawings and prints. Of this huge lot, only five works of art are dated. Jean Fragonard’s most famous painting, “The Swing” or “The Happy Accidents of the Swing (French: Les Hasards Heureux de l’Escarpolette)” (1769) is by far one of the best Rococo works in the world.

Measuring 81cm x 64.2cm, Jean’s “The Swing” is a colorful and attractive oil painting on canvas, brimming with zest. It shows a young woman in a flowy caramel dress, a trendy touch completed with a hat. Enjoy high swings in a garden, with a bishop, probably his lover, pushing the swing hanging from a large, thick tree. A young man, hiding behind the bushes, looks at the woman. As she climbs on the swing, the man leaning back is able to sneak a peek down her legs, under the dress, “symbolizing” the loss of virginity. With the theme of carefree enthusiasm, Jean Honore’s “The Swing” shows the woman carelessly dropping one of her shoes into the air. The surrounding statues seem to recognize the scene with a statuesque silence.

According to the autobiography of Charles Colle, a young man first asked Gabriel Francois Doyen to make this painting of him and his lover. Not comfortable with the idea of ​​this casual and cheerful job, Francois Doyen recommended Jean-Honore for it. “The Swing” was an instant hit. Jean is believed to have made several versions of “The Swing,” though each one is unique in its own right. Grimaldi and Labeyrie Collection delivered a smaller version, 56 × 46 cm, to the Musée Lambinet in the city of Versailles, where “The Swing” is currently on display. Virgile Josz has mentioned the following three replicas of “The Swing” in his book “Fragonard: moeurs du XVIIIe siecle”, written in 1901. Baron Bollioud de Saint-Julien owned the original painting, which was sold to the Duke of Morny . when the baron died in 1788. Sir Richard Wallace bought it and now Jean Fragonard’s “The Swing” is part of the ‘Wallace Collection’, London, UK. Another version of “The Swing” is slightly different, with the woman’s dress in blue, rather than the original candy. Edmond James de Rothschild owns it. Duc Jules de Polignac owns an even smaller version of “The Swing”.

Without a doubt, Jean-Honore Fragonard stands out as a leading figure in the world of ‘rococo paintings’, with works of art such as “The Swing” to back him up. He has truly passed on a legacy of creative innovation to inspire several generations of existing and future artists.