French Art Period 5 1750-1900

The Swing. Jean-Honoré Fragonard. 1767 C.E. Oil on canvas. A woman is on a swing in a lush garden. A clergyman (her husband) is pushing her in the swing, while her lover hides in the bushes so that he can look up her skirt.

The work is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Rococo era. Fragonard painted this for a wealthy patron (the man on the bottom left) who wanted to keep this in his private collection for decoration. The husband is in the dark/shadow of the tree. It is indicative of the Rococo in its emphasis of movement with both the swing and the man taking action to look up his lover's dress. Women on swings were a popular theme in Rococo paintings, symbolizing their fickleness.

Rococo paintings were popular items among the French aristocracy. This exhibit in the Wallace Collection mimics the lavish furnishings of a typical French aristocrat’s study. The Wallace Collection is an art collection in London open to the public, housed at Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. 

The Oath of the Horatii. Jacques-Louis David. 1784 C.E. Oil on canvas. Legend recounts a conflict between the Romans and a rival group from nearby Alba. Rather than continue a full-scale war, they elect representative combatants to settle their dispute. The Romans select the sons of Horatius and the Albans choose another trio of brothers, the Curatii. In the painting we witness the Horatii taking an oath to defend Rome. The three Horatii sons salute their father who holds their swords as they prepare to protect Rome. The figures are dressed in classical robes with Roman arches in the back. Women in the background grieve over their decision to go to war.

Neoclassical works emphasize personal sacrifice for the nation and exemplify the figures' virtue and courage. The composition is theatrical and the stoicism and rigid stances of the sons prove Rome's unwavering backbone. The women are more curved and free to lament their sorrow to contrast and heighten the men's stoicism. This is commissioned by King Louis XVI of France as an allegory of loyalty to the state, and became a popular image during the French Revolution.

Self-Portrait. Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. 1790 C. E Self-Portrait. Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. 1790 C.E. Oil on canvas.  Vigee Le Brun was famous for her portraiture for Marie Antoinette. She is one of the few women admitted to France's Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. The self-portrait shows her confidently painting Queen Marie Antoinette. She depicts herself as attractive, elegant, cheerful, and well dressed. The portrait is Rococo in style, evidence by the lighthearted mood.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, Archduchess Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, 1778,oil on canvas, 273 x 193.5 cm (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) Vigée-LeBrun first met Queen Marie-Antoinette at the royal palace at Versailles in 1778. The Queen had heard of the young painter’s successes and had her own likeness painted en robe a paniers (in a hoopskirt). The painting is a majestic full-length display of power. Marie-Antoinette stands facing the viewer, with the exception of her head, which is turned slightly to the viewer’s left so that she looks past us. 

Liberty Leading the People. Eugène Delacroix. 1830 C.E. Oil on canvas.  As you watch the video, note: Romanticism July 1830 Revolution Notre Dame as a symbol Personification of Liberty (allegorical figure) Main figures in painting Political role of the painting