Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Born in Grasse as the son of a glover, he moved to Paris at age six. Late in life, he returned to his hometown to escape the Revolution, decorating his cousin's house.¹

He studied under François Boucher and mastered his style so completely that he was entrusted with executing replicas of his master's paintings.¹

In 1752, he won the Prix de Rome. Before departing for Italy, he spent three years studying under Charles-André van Loo to further refine his academic skills.¹

During his stay in Rome, he befriended Hubert Robert and toured Italy, where the romantic gardens and fountains inspired the dreamlike settings of his later art.¹

He learned loose and vigorous brushstrokes from masters like Rubens and Hals, which gave his work a remarkable sense of facility, exuberance, and movement.¹

He turned away from history painting toward scenes of love and voluptuousness for private patrons, characterized by tender color and virtuoso brushwork.¹

His masterpiece 'The Swing' was commissioned by a nobleman after another artist refused the frivolous subject. Fragonard turned it into a Rococo icon.¹

Following a lukewarm response to some of his works, he abandoned the Rococo style to experiment with Neoclassicism, showing his adaptability to changing tastes.¹

He took his sister-in-law Marguerite Gérard as a student and assistant, while his son Alexandre-Évariste also became a talented painter and sculptor.¹

The French Revolution deprived him of his private patrons, who were guillotined or exiled, forcing the once-popular painter to seek shelter in Grasse.¹

His expressive brushstrokes and handling of color had an undoubtable influence on the Impressionists, particularly Renoir and his grand-niece Berthe Morisot.¹