As a result, Court focused on smaller paintings that he could sell easily. One way do to this is to keep a List of objects to paint. So, I asked a local auction house and they highly recommended your service. This article has been viewed 194,350 times. (i.e. Knowing the lineage of ownership and exhibition history can add to the value of your artwork. We will also discuss various art elements like color and texture, which formed a large part of Fragonards artistic style. If there are auction records, you may wish to compare your own artwork to those works with estimates and/or sale prices. Read More What is Tempera Paint? Jean-Honor Fragonard, Swing, c.1767, Wallace Collection, London, UK. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We will start with a brief contextual analysis and the significance of such subject matter during 18th-century France, as well as what made this painting quite salacious for its time. Therefore, while your own research initiative on askART is encouraged as a learning experience, askART cannot be held responsible for, nor can it validate, the conclusions you or others may have derived. PeasantWedding Painting: An in-depth analysis, The Death of Germanicus: All Emotions Explained, Scene of Deluge Painting: Meaning and Analysis, Claude Monet paintings: Analysis of his best work. Given the sordid nature of the task, Doyen refused. All else equal, a sculpture will likely be more valuable if it is one of only 6 cast, as opposed to being one of 600. Genre: Genre painting His work influenced Impressionism as well as contemporary artists. Thus this theory further strengthens the theme of forbidden love in the painting. A twelve-inch-by-12-inch painting is approximately 144 square inches. Milam muses that Fragonards lush, loose brushwork seamlessly connects with the content of the work. Pilgrimage The cupids tame the otherwise wild dolphin just like the society bridles overt displays of affection. Despite being criticized as representations of the moral decline of aristocratic civilization, works like The Swing were wildly popular in the eighteenth century. Fragonard is simply incomparable. The heeled slipper that flies off her pointed foot leads our eyes to a marble statue of Cupid (the mythological god of erotic love) on the far left. Doyen painted more serious subject matter within the History painting genre, and reportedly referred the client to Fragonard. Women of Algiers (Version O) (1954-55) sold at auction for a record-breaking $179 million in 2015, beating previous record-breaking sales of Le Rve . As he releases the ropes, she leans back and extends her legs, expelling a tiny pink slipper from her pointed foot. While theres plenty of intrigue in the story of its making, The Swing ultimately revels in fun, fantasy, and the idealized haut monde. What's my Rockwell worth? Last, but definitely not least to mention is his masterpiece . She enlivens the scene as she swings, in mid-air, her gown almost engulfing the red velvet and gilded seat. When examining a watercolor piece, hold the painting at an angle and look for rough spots around the brush strokes. It tells you basically everything to look for when purchasing an oil. The Rococo style centered around the expression of the grandiosity of the French aristocracy and nobility, which came into power after the death of King Louis XIV in 1715. Unlike large-scale history paintings, or the widely collected genres of portraiture and landscape, these works were relatively small (81 x 64.2 cm in the case of The Swing) and intended for display in intimate rooms known as cabinets.Admiring the painting in the privacy of such a space, the patron and his . For example, you can find Thomas Gainsboroughs, If you can take a high-quality photo of the piece, try running it through Googles Reverse Image Search at. Such playful and erotic scenes were popular among the elite clientele Fragonard served. A Notable Artist The decadent composition all but shouts: Let them eat cake! The Swing isnt particularly relatable to the 21st-century viewer or anyone unaffiliated with the court at Paris or Versailles, nor does it offer serious truths about human nature. First of all, are you thinking of buying it because you like it? Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts, Brussels. The protagonist of the present painting is the young woman in the center enjoying a swing in a lush garden wearing a pink satin gown. References. There are numerous symbolic references in The Swing painting, each suggestive of sexual desire, courtship, infidelity, and restriction. Sunny skies. Copyright 2000-2023 askART All Rights Reserved|askART is a registered trademark|, Is the artwork an original? She also appears to be the only colorful figure in the composition, where her dress is like a beacon of color and light. This sculpture shows two baby cupids riding a dolphin. Poussin and above all by the freer, more colourful painting of Giambattista Thank you so much! accentuated by the way that the frills of the girl's dress match the pattern -PopCultAnimeCOn. However, please be aware that your own research may not be a substitute for the type of formal analysis and appraisal that can come from contracting a qualified professional appraisal service. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. While hunting for valuable paintings, keep an eye out for authentic pieces that have the artists original signature on them. Fragonard is a famous Rococo painter from France whose paintings were elaborate and colourful, with many fans still studying his career in detail . In the shadows behind her, an older manperhaps her cuckolded husbandpulls the swings reins. In 2014, a watercolour of a registry office in Munich sold for 130,000 ($148,000) at an auction in Nuremberg, southern Germany. These are usually statues of nude children who are cherubs. Female figure (detail), Jean-Honor Fragonard, Jean-Honor Fragonard, Blind-Mans Buff, 1750-52, oil on canvas, 46 x 36 inches (Toledo Museum of Art). There is a variety of implied textures in this composition, starting with the womans dress, which appears soft and almost weightless as the air combs through it on the swing. Use our search tools to find your artist. I'm the writer and founder of TheHistoryOfArt.org. All Rights Reserved. What is the Provenance? National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Museo Nacional Thyssean-Bornemisza, Madrid, Vanessa Bezemer Sellers, From Italy to France: Gardens in the Court of Louis XIV and After on, Perrin Stein, Jean Honor Fragonard (17321806) on. Naturally, he grew up to be a trained portraitist as well. One of the less subtle signs of eroticism is the womans extended leg that exposes her thigh. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 1939 Oil on Canvas, Southwest Landscape Painting by artist David Swing (1864-1945). One of the less subtle signs of eroticism is the woman's extended leg that exposes her thigh. How Much is a The Swing Painting? The Swing above is an excellent choice for most homes with framed prints normally finishing the reproduction in the most professional way possible. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In front of him is a small white dog looking up at the woman and barking at her, his front paws resting on the border of a hedge while he stands on his back legs. He is swinging her back and forth. It was an ornate style and favored curves and curls. This will require a one-day or longer subscription (please click here for information ). Continue with Recommended Cookies. In the lower-left corner, we see her lover, resting his body on his right elbow as he looks at his mistress completely mesmerized by her beauty and overcome by ecstasy. Jenkins' pictorial universe consists of streaks of color that awaken associations. Dec 26, 2022 at 8:48 AM. Poussin was greatly influenced by ancient roman art and other Renaissance artists such as Domenichino. The identity of the subject in The Swing by Fragonard is unclear. One may also notice that cupid uses his other hand to remove an arrow from his quiver as if about to strike the careless woman with love. In Heaven and the Flesh: Imagery of Desire from the Renaissance to the Rococo (1995), scholars Clive Hart and Kay Stevensoncall The Swing a disguised representation of inverted sexual intercourse. More colloquially, they see the painting as a cheeky implication of a sex act that situates the woman on top. The Swing by Jean-Honor Fragonard expresses a very intimate feeling or rather a fantasy. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. For example, in 2019 a Picasso painting from 1932 sold for $28 million. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Beside the gardens trellis and fountain, the older man operating the swing is presumably the husband of the young woman. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Other instances of symbolism Determining a Painting's Authenticity 1 Look for the artist's original signature. Music in the Tuileries by douard Manet: Meaning and Analysis. Unlike laser prints, paintings made using a pointillist technique will have dots of varying sizes and shapes. of faithfulness - sounds the alarm by barking, but the woman's husband The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Some artists whose work ended up at thrift stores include Ben Nicholson, Ilya Bolotowsky, Giovanni Battista Torriglia, Alexander Calder, and even Pablo Picasso. There are at least 8 paintings in the world with an estimated price tag above $200 million and over 4 dozen paintings that have a value above $100 million, with Mona Lista price at the very top of the list. What is known, however, is that Fragonards client, as we will refer to him, requested a depiction of his mistress and himself. Interpretation of Other 18th Century Paintings, Name: The Swing (L'Escarpolette) (1767) This website brings you information on this great painting and offers it for sale from a trusted online retailer who we regularly use ourselves. At first glance, the picture appears to be a simple image Watteau, Fragonard began to specialize in the playful, erotic compositions "Everything you described with the nails in the back of frame, rough paintbrush edges, and an engraved patina-aged. "The Swing" (1767) by Jean-Honor Fragonard. Both Cupids have a finger to their lips as if they are keeping a secret. The Swing, Hart and Stevenson write, is discursive almost to a fault, encouraging witty, brittle, scabrous salon talk.. artists, the exceptionally talented Fragonard trained under Francois Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David. While the roses below the woman echo the color of her dress, the rest of the composition, the background, and two male figures are darker in color with more neutral, cooler greens and blues denoting the shadows. The woman on a swing is a symbol of desire and possibly the mistress of the man in the bushes gazing up at her, also peeking into her open dress. Interpretation and genre works. The Some of these themes were not suitable for public display and were often looked down upon by the public. On the other hand, Picasso's smaller, less valuable works can be purchased for thousands of dollars at auction . However, there are various other lines and shapes at play in this composition, noticeable by the wrangling tree branches and the curving forms of the trees around the central figure. So, the total price per square inch is $432. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. How do I know if my painting is valuable if it has no signature? ). Oath The Swings implied narrative, like the best gossip, has contributed to the paintings enduring popularity among aesthetes and sophisticatesscandal never gets old. A gallery incudes further paintings from his career, all of which follow a similar style as painters at that time were not as experimental as they are today. While it is clear that Cupid is the Greek god of love, so he fits right in, however, the maenads are quite interesting. Line, form, and shape in The Swing (c. 1767-1768) by Jean-Honor Fragonard;Jean-Honor Fragonard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Partially hidden by an overgrown rose bush, he peers wide-eyed up the open skirt of the swinging woman. The act of taming is further recalled by an adjacent sculpture of two. In The Swing painting, the woman becomes both the subject and object: she is the central subject of the composition, while also being the object of desire and affection for the men. At the center of the work, a young woman clothed in a billowing, ruffled, ballet-pink dress floats in a dramatically lit clearing, rocking above the ground on a crimson-cushioned swing. If the back of a frame is mostly dark but has a few bright streaks in it, theres a good chance the painting is authentic but had to be relined at some point. That was all for now. Just below the swinging woman is another Cupid sculpture. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8f\/Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8f\/Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg\/aid9698618-v4-728px-Spot-Valuable-Paintings-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"