Jean-Honore Fragonard - Masterpiece Curations

“I was in awe of Michelangelo’s energy. I felt things that I could not express. When I saw the beauty of the Raphaels, I was moved to tears, and I could scarcely hold my pencil.” ~Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (pronunciation) was a French painter and printmaker who worked in the Rococo style. He is considered one of the most prolific artists of the 18th century, producing more than 550 paintings, as well as hundreds of drawings and etchings.

Fragonard’s Early Life

Fragonard was born in Grasse, France (pronunciation), on April 5, 1732. but his family moved to Paris when he was six. He was born into a family of craftsmen, thus he was in an environment of creativity all during his childhood. Fragonard quickly showed an interest in art and eventually became apprenticed to an artist named Jacques-Francois Oeben (pronunciation).

In 1752 he traveled to Paris and won a scholarship to the French Royal Academy after submitting a historical painting. Those who accepted him hoped that he would restore and continue the tradition of historical painting. However, Fragonard quickly abandoned the genre and decided to focus more on the whimsical and frivolous details of the aristocratic lifestyle.

Jean Fragonard’s Painting Career

Fragonard returned to Paris in 1761, and he quickly gained popularity for his lighthearted, romantic paintings. His art style was noticeable by his brisk and light brushstrokes, which he used to create more dynamic positions. This greatly influenced the impressionist movement that would arise roughly a century later. His most famous work, “The Swing” (1767), depicts a young woman playfully swinging on a rope while her lover hides behind a bush.

Unfortunately, in the middle of his career, the market for his particular art style rapidly went out of fashion, seeing as it was the time of the French Revolution, and the aesthetic for such a lavish society was being overthrown. After this, he adopted an art style closer to Neoclassicism.

Jean Fragonard Death

Though he had become wealthy during his career, his popularity dwindled in the later part of his life, until he died in 1806 in relative obscurity. He remained largely unknown after his death until he was rediscovered in the late 19^th century, and he is now considered one of the greatest painters of the Rococo period.