The Swing Flashcards
Subject:
A young woman pushed on a swing by her lover, while a younger man watches from below.
The woman:
Elegantly dressed, wearing a fashionable bergère hat (shepherdess hat). Dressed in pink and white, the floral garlands around her bonnet and neck emphasise her femininity.
The older man
Presumably her husband. Hidden in the shadows on the right, propels the swing with a pair of ropes. Appears to be unaware of the presence of the young man.
The younger man:
We take to be the woman’s lover. Hiding in the bushes on the left, his crouched position allows him to see up into her dress.
The setting:
The lush, fertile landscape emphasises the sensual nature of the scene.
Influence of the Rococo style:
Seen here in Fragonard’s use of pastel colours, soft lighting and asymmetry, as well as the focus on luxurious fabrics and the iconographical programme of romantic love and sensuality.
An allegory for an aristocratic audience:
A commentary on the transience of pleasure. The composition directs the eye in such a way that the narrative is revealed gradually and framed as if a scene in a play, encouraging viewers to take pleasure in their intrusion into a private moment.
The swing:
A leisure activity for the aristocratic class, here it can be read as a sexual metaphor where social decorum ceases in favour of play and erotic looking.
The garden:
A space outside the rules of society, gardens facilitated illicit liaisons between lovers – a metaphor for freedom and immorality.
The Dog:
Usually a symbol of loyalty (Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait) barks at the older man (the woman’s husband), presumably in warning.
The discarded slipper:
Symbolises the girl’s lost innocence.
The statue of the putto:
Recognisable to 18th c viewers as Falconet’s Menacing Cupid. Watches the lovers with its finger on its lips, adding a moralising note to the scene.
Louis XV and the lifestyle of the French court:
The Rococo style was synonymous with the overindulgence of the reign of Louis XV– seen here in Fragonard’s decorative style and lack of moral message. During his reign, France became involved in a series of costly wars, resulting in a weakened economy exacerbated by royal over spending. The unpopular king laying the foundations for the French Revolution of 1789.
The Rococo style as an interior design programme:
Rococo was particularly popular in art, furniture and interior design and became synonymous with the highly decorative, courtly style of mid 18c France. Reflected here in Fragonard’s decorative artificiality.
Later reaction against the Rococo from the Neoclassical/Enlightenment period:
By end of the 18c social and political attitudes were changing due to the Age of Enlightenment, resulting in the rejection of the frivolous Rococo style of Boucher and a return to a ‘grand style’ emphasizing antiquity and nobility in the arts.
