The Paintings Of Fragonard

A study of the works of Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806). The author reveals the extent to which Fragonard's paintings were informed by such diverse artists as Rembrandt and Ruisdael, Pietro da Cortona and Solimena, Rubens and Jordaens. The text offers an account of the artist's life and work.

At the time of his death in 1806, the Rococo artist Jean-Honore Fragonard had not painted for two decades. Following a period of huge public success, the painter's reputation fell. Personally secretive, Fragonard created revealing images that undermined a normal sense of space and time. Satish Padiyar investigates the life and work of the last of the libertine painters of the ancien regime, a contemporary of Denis Diderot and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and presents dramatic new perspectives on works such as The Progress of Love, painted for Madame du Barry, the infamous The Bolt and the ever-popular The Swing.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter, one of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime. Among his most popular works are genre paintings conveying an atmosphere of intimacy. Fragonard has been ranged with Watteau as one of the two great poetic painters of the 18th century in France. A prodigiously active artist, he produced more than 550 paintings, several thousand drawings, and 35 etchings. His style, based primarily on that of Rubens, was rapid, vigorous, and fluent, never tight or fussy like that of so many of his contemporaries. Although the greater part of his active life was passed during the Neoclassical period, he continued to paint in a Rococo expression until shortly before the French Revolution. Only five paintings by Fragonard are dated, but the chronology of the rest can be fairly accurately established from other sources such as engravings and documents. He died in 1806, almost completely forgotten.

A painter and printmaker of the Rococo movement, Jean- Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) is recognised as one of France’s most prolific artists. His genius however almost went forgotten after the Revolution due to the expanding influence of neo-classicism and the loss of his bourgeoisie clientele. He studied under the great Boucher and painted over 550 works in various genres including landscapes and portraits illustrating the erotic, the domestic and an abundance of religious scenery. His smooth brushstrokes never faltered in depicting the charm and wit of 18th century France. Fragonard’s talent lies in bringing his creations to life in a refined and decadent manner with Goncourt describing him as “the poet of the Ars Amatoria of the age”.

Fragonard's playful paintings is the first critical analysis of the function of play as an artistic concept and visual experience in Rococo art. The art of Jean-Honoré Fragonard embodies the pervasive culture of play in eighteenth-century France. His interactive paintings and drawings invite beholders to engage in a visual game of interpretation through subject, form and theme. This book not only examines Fragonard's art through close analyses of individual works, but also considers the role of the viewer within a variety of contexts related to social behaviour, philosophy, literature and aesthetics.

The leading exponent of the Rococo style, Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings are characterised by remarkable facility, exuberance and frivolous hedonism. Regarded as one of the greatest colourists of art history, Fragonard produced stunning artworks that capture the spirit of the final days of the Ancien Régime, conveying intimacy and veiled eroticism. Delphi’s Masters of Art Series presents the world’s first digital e-Art books, allowing readers to explore the works of great artists in comprehensive detail. This volume presents Fragonard’s complete works in beautiful detail, with concise introductions, hundreds of high quality images and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * The complete paintings of Jean-Honoré Fragonard — fully indexed and arranged in chronological and alphabetical order * Includes reproductions of rare works * Features a special ‘Highlights’ section, with concise introductions to the masterpieces, giving valuable contextual information * Enlarged ‘Detail’ images, allowing you to explore Fragonard’s celebrated works in detail, as featured in traditional art books * Hundreds of images in colour – highly recommended for viewing on tablets and smart phones or as a valuable reference tool on more conventional eReaders * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the paintings * Easily locate the paintings you wish to view * Includes a selection of Fragonard's drawings – explore the artist’s varied works * Features a bonus biography – discover Fragonard's artistic and personal life Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting e-Art books CONTENTS: The Highlights Blindman’s Buff Venus and Cupid Jeroboam Sacrificing to Idols Psyche Shows Her Sisters the Gifts She Received from Cupid The Captured Kiss The Storm The Small Park The Bathers Coresus Sacrifices Himself to Save Callirhoë The Swing Mademoiselle Guimard Love Letters The Education of the Virgin The Bolt A Young Girl Reading A Boy as Pierrot Forsaken The Vow to Love The Paintings The Complete Paintings Alphabetical List of Paintings The Drawings List of Drawings The Biography Fragonard by Haldane Macfall Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to buy the whole Art series as a Super Set