Jean-Honoré Fragonard's The Swing

Artwork, too, was just as divergent. Consider the Rococo masterpiece The Swing, by artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard. The delicate coiling of the tree branches, the ruffling of the fabric and lace on the subject’s dress, and the play of light and shadow in this painting of a woman on a swing in the forest are all visual hallmarks of the Rococo style. Again, contrast with a Neoclassic masterpiece Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David. This work, which shows

There is an overt sense of leisure and intimacy established through the social exchanges in this painting. A man in the foreground is playing a guitar to a lady, which adds a cheery, relaxed mood. On the right side of the painting, children play on the ground, which shows how this is a joyful event. While there are many social interactions being made, the people in this painting are very generalized. Watteau purposely does not paint many of the people’s faces to put emphasis on the landscape and setting.

I selected this painting because the colour contrast of the pink dress against the dark background caught my eye. I also found the expression of the young woman to be interesting.

The Swing is a typical Rococo painting with loose brushwork, soft colors and an amorphous organic composition which celebrates the beauty of love and sophistication of the ruling class while, The Oath of the Horatii displays war and anger and eschews the Rococo style with its geometric organization and its strong impression of

The background of the painting is very dark and a reflective of the dark times some women were in during this time. The dark background and the subject’s serious persona give the painting a mysterious sensation. Mrs. Richard Skinner’s clothing pieces are very light colors which give a light-hearted ambiance to the painting but the dark background, dim lighting, and the dark table that lay before her completely alter the mood of the painting. The lighting of the painting, therefore, emphasizes Mrs. Richard Skinner even more due to her dark surroundings, which is another example of Copley’s attempt at accentuating her womanhood. Some of the props in this painting elaborate and stress her sexuality even further. The subject is holding a flower in the painting; flowers are symbolic of purity and femininity. The way the subject is holding the flowers is to be noted as well. She is holding

The artists Jean-Honore Fragonard and Jaques-Louis David both successfully embody their respective stylistic differences. Fragonard’s style of painting is Rococo, which is characterized by its softness, asymmetry and curviness. Contrasting these ideals is David’s style of painting, Neo-Classicism. Neo-Classicism is synonymous with strong gestures, symmetry, and solidness. Two works that best exemplify the ideals of each style of painting are Fragonard’s The Swing, 1767 and David’s The Death of Socrates, 1787. Although at first glance, it is easier to focus on how each work is different to the other, one can argue that they are similar in theme. Both

This paper is going to be a close examination of Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of Matilda Stoughton de Jaudènes, an oil canvas dating from the year 1794. Initially, there is going to be provided a formal analysis of the work of art in question as far as the elements of Art are concerned. Thereafter, attention will be drawn to how the sitter is conveyed through the artist’s artistic choices on the painting. With reference to that, multiple aspects of the piece will be discussed as to the way in which they contribute to attributing an identity to the sitter. Lastly, the paper will elaborate upon how two formal artistic elements effectively convey one aspect of the sitter’s identity. In particular, the elements of color and light will be

“A painter in every fiber of his being, he felt himself so powerfully driven by the demon of his art that he could say, in words which should be left as they are, because they are his own.” The acquaintance that said that truly understood the talent of the last great painter of the French Rococo style, Jean Honore Fragonard. The only true way for an audience to understand this elegant artist like, his close acquaintance, is to look at his art. He had art work such as The Swing, which was one of his most well-known, as well as more than 550 others not as well distinguished. Though some artists from that time disagreed with what this brilliant man was doing, others of royal dissent found him fascinating. Jean Honore Fragonard color palette, lighting, brushstrokes, and tone contribute much to the already naughty scene. The Swing admits a time and place where adultery and scandalous behavior are a

In Fragonard’s work, the girl is at the center of the painting. The man in the bushes is gesturing to her with one arm and the man pushing the swing is holding two ropes that lead the viewer’s gaze up to her. Her bright pink dress draws one’s eye to her rather than the cool tones in the rest of the painting. The light cascading through the trees also guides the viewer’s eyes to the girl on the swing. In Keene’s version of The Swing, Rapunzel is also in the center of the painting. The light hits her, making her and the surrounding area glow. She is also wearing a bright pink dress, but the vibrant pink in the flowers of the piece keep her from standing out as much as the dress in Fragonard’s

The placement of the reds and oranges create a sense of doom. While yellows, typically are relaxing, though in Angel of the Last Judgment the yellows used have an acidic tone to them. While as the greens and blues give the painting hope and offer serenity. The black contours of the figure in the painting seem to signify stillness and death, while the white patches on the wings signify purity. Throughout the painting the sharp diagonal lines and triangles create tension like broken

Her physicality also is important to the overall impact of the painting. The female figure’s hands are clasped, as if in prayer, and her head is tilted with her gaze directed at Saint George and the sky above him. Her gaze is critical as it establishes the importance of religious figures whilst cementing Saint George’s status as a saint. Another, and final, observation about the female figure is her clothing. The bright red colour of her dress is the most vibrant throughout the painting.

Color and technique is another major aspect of The Kiss. In creating this painting, Klimt gained inspiration from his travels to the Byzantine, the mosaics in Ravenna in particular. This inspiration is reflected in his use of gold and the arrangement of shapes. While the majority of the painting was done using golden hues (he uses actual gold leaf to achieve this affect), Klimt manages to apply all of the colors necessary to achieve intrigue and convey his message clearly. He uses vibrant colors such as; blue, purple, and green in the flowerbed. He strategically uses the gold by integrating it into the robes and vines that swathe over the figures and over the woman’s feet. He continues his theme of contrast and juxtaposition in his use of complimentary colors. The green in the flowerbed contrasts with the red in the woman’s dress, making her dominate and stand out. This contrast is even shown in the skin tones of the figures. The man has an olive complexion and the woman has a peach complexion, making her stand out

The young girl is dressed in a sky blue windbreaker or sweater with a straw hat in which her long brown-reddish hair flows from underneath; her floppy straw hat also has a small blueberry colored ribbon around its crown. She is facing the man while also leaning on the rail with her right arm resting on top of it, and her left arm is out in front of her while both hands are clasped together on top of the rail. She is looking up at the young man as he is looking down at her. In addition, there are two different bundles of intertwined vines a couple of feet apart from each other that are hanging from the top of this painting, originating from the tree behind the young man. These vines are on each side of the young girl and perfectly place her in the center of the painting.

y frivolous and fancy to the untrained eye, The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard and The Love Of Paris And Helen by Jacques-Louis David are actually from two wildly different artistic eras; the Fragonard is from the Rococo era (1700-1770) and the David is from the Neoclassical era (1750-1860). Some characteristics of Rococo-era painting include a focus on love, sensuality and a refined, park-like view of nature; a dramatic shift from the heavy political and religious themes/imagery of the Baroque era. The Swing demonstrates this by depicting a light, “fluffy” image of a young woman swinging in what looks to be a park or a garden. There is one guy on either side of her, both as fashionably-attired (for the time at least) as she is; the guy on the left, while I’m not sure whether or not he is meant to be pushing her, he nevertheless (whether on purpose or not) appears to be getting a nice view of what’s under all of her pink frilly skirts while the guy on the right is more

The format of the painting is vertical and is an oil on canvas painting. The girl, a maid that has dozed off after entertaining a visitor, is the foreground of the painting. She is dressed in a brown silk dress and lace neckband while a small cap adorns her ears and pearl earrings are shining at both cheeks. Her physical features are subtle, unmarked by feelings, even though her cheeks seem to be flushed and is smiling. The painting above her portrays an unmasked Cupid, which is an implied explanation of her dreamy smile.