Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) remains one of the most celebrated French painters of the 18th century and undisputed master of Rococo art. Born in Grasse, this artistic genius developed a virtuosic style characterized by free and spontaneous brushwork, shimmering colors, and refined sensuality that captivated the aristocracy of the Ancien Régime. A pupil of François Boucher and pensioner at the French Academy in Rome, Fragonard excelled in gallant painting with masterpieces such as “The Swing” (1767) housed in London’s Wallace Collection, “The Bolt” at the Louvre, and the “Figures de fantaisie” series that reveal his mastery of portraiture. A painter of love and libertinage, he also skillfully captured genre scenes, idyllic landscapes, and fêtes galantes, perfectly embodying the hedonistic and refined spirit of his era before the French Revolution radically transformed artistic tastes and temporarily relegated his work to obscurity.

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