When you first look at the painting, what do you see? You may think it's a romantic painting, a woman being pushed on a swing by her love in a beautiful setting, but if you look closely, you realize that things seem a bit odd.
Let's start by discussing the Rococo period when the painting was made. The term "Rococo" stems from the French word rocaille, a method of decoration using pebbles, seashells, and cement. Rocaille decoration is a dramatic decoration that inspired scrolling curves in architecture and interior design. In paintings, the artistic style consisted of pastel colors, fluid forms, and aesthetics. The Rococo movement started in France and then spread to other European countries. This movement of art was a peak in high-class people's lives right before the French Revolution.
"The Swing" was made by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) and was commissioned by Baron Louis-Guillaume Baillet de Saint-Julien, who wanted a portrait of his mistress. His original request was for his mistress to be pushed by a Bishop while he looked up at her skirt, but Fragonard changed the original request by exchanging the bishop with a cuckolded husband. The whole painting itself is a symbol of infidelity.
The young woman on The Swing kicks her leg up so that her skirt can fly up and let the man below (the baron who commissioned the piece) see up her skirt. If you squint and focus on the bottom right, there's a small white dog in front of the husband pushing the woman on The Swing. Dogs traditionally represent faithfulness, but in this painting, the dog is barking, which is a warning about the affair. Also in that area are two putti (cherubs) statues gazing up at the woman. Cherubs are attendants of Venus or Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Another symbol of love, Cupid, is seen on the far left. The statue seems to be staring at the cherubs, with a raised finger to his lips as if to shush them.
Although the painting has strange symbolism, it’s a beautiful piece to look at and will always be an artist favorite. Special thanks to art history Professor Jamie Buettner for teaching me about this piece!
Works Cited
Cole, Margherita. “The Scandalous Symbolism behind Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Masterpiece ‘The Swing.’ ” My Modern Met, 15 Nov. 2019, mymodernmet.com/fragonard-the-swing/#:~:text=Rarely%20is%20a%20painting%20so%20delicious%20to%20the.
Zaczek, Iain. “The Swing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/The-Swing-painting-by-Fragonard.
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