Read More Scene of Deluge Painting: Meaning and AnalysisContinue, Read More Claude Monet paintings: Analysis of his best workContinue. her dress - and even kicks her legs apart for his benefit. -Made in New England Expo. Look for a legible signature or notation on the artwork, including the back, and also on the bottom if it is a sculpture. While theres plenty of intrigue in the story of its making, The Swing ultimately revels in fun, fantasy, and the idealized haut monde. His delicate 18th Her left hand (our right) holds on to the swings rope while her right hand (our left) is open. Thank you so much! Often an ideal situation is when an artwork has never been touched up, even though it might need cleaning badly. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The Pre-Arranged Flight (1772-1773) by Jean-Honor Fragonard;Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. These are usually statues of nude children who are cherubs. The womans dress may be likened to a pink rose, a symbol of infatuation and admiration. We will start with a brief contextual analysis and the significance of such subject matter during 18th-century France, as well as what made this painting quite salacious for its time. (At The painting is sensual, rich, small, and thereby meant for a private collection. www.TheHistoryOfArt.org 2023. : Composition, Origin, and Examples. There was an overall playfulness and frivolity to it, as it has been described. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Older man (detail), Jean-Honor Fragonard, These references to unbridled passion are balanced by symbols of constraint on the right side of the composition. picture is deliberately risque and rather rascally. Within the larger art-historical tradition, The Swing riffs on the genre of boudoir paintingscanvases that feature a woman in her private chambers, primed or procured for a romantic liaison. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. She enlivens the scene as she swings, in mid-air, her gown almost engulfing the red velvet and gilded seat. His famous re-enactment of this painting is a life-sized installation made of various materials, titled The Swing (after Fragonard) (2001). Public Domain. (Note: We wonder, who will she choose next? The painting reflects unbridled love and sensuality on one side and societal constraints on the other. Sunny skies. (1659-1743), painter to Louis XIV, and those of Elisabeth Courtesy of the Wallace Collection. ). his mistress on a swing being pushed by a bishop, whilst he (the Baron) Take a look at our list in celebration of the printmaking master and the biggest fan of the Flag. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The left side of the composition alludes to desire and sexual freedom. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. * As an Amazon Associate, and partner with Google Adsense and Ezoic, I earn from qualifying purchases. the commission almost to the letter. It started around the 1730s and declined around the 1770s. When Fragonard was given this request, he did not depict a bishop, but instead someone who appeared to be the mistress husband. PeasantWedding Painting: An in-depth analysis, The Death of Germanicus: All Emotions Explained, Scene of Deluge Painting: Meaning and Analysis, Claude Monet paintings: Analysis of his best work. Considered to be Fragonard's most successful painting, The Swing stands alone today as an emblem of Rococo art. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. So, the total price per square inch is $432. This will require a one-day or longer subscription (pleaseclick here for information). A twelve-inch-by-12-inch painting is approximately 144 square inches. The opening in the trees above her is a possible light source that spotlights her figure as she swings out of the shadows behind her. It is unclear as to who commissioned The Swing by Fragonard, however, several features of the painting hint toward their identity. Interestingly, Fragonard was not initially chosen to make this oil painting, but was brought in by Gabriel Franois Doyen who did not approve of the specification himself. See also: French Georgia O'KeeffeLandscapes We can see there is a vertical emphasis due to the swings ropes and the tall trees. This man is possibly her husband, unaware of the younger-looking gentleman in front of her in the bushes, who is possibly her lover. Medium: Oil painting on canvas Furthermore, the worried facial expression of the chubby cherub could allude to the possibility of the woman being unfaithful. In 2018 his "Femme au Bret et la Robe Quadrille" was sold in London for $73 million USD. For the meaning of other celebrated masterpieces, How do I know if my painting is valuable if it has no signature? The three figures are set in a lush gardenscape filled with large overarching trees. Worth : $148.1 Million. These new paintings featured much less important and often anonymous subjects. Often, the easiest way to tell if a painting is authentic or not is to look for the artist's signature on the front or back side. You may need advice from a restorer to determine what condition your art is in, especially if it is an older work. In Heaven and the Flesh: Imagery of Desire from the Renaissance to the Rococo (1995), scholars Clive Hart and Kay Stevensoncall The Swing a disguised representation of inverted sexual intercourse. More colloquially, they see the painting as a cheeky implication of a sex act that situates the woman on top. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8f\/Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8f\/Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg\/aid9698618-v4-728px-Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"