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Artists in 60 Seconds: Jean-Honoré Fragonard

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

© The Morgan Library and Museum; Used with permission

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732-1806). Interior of a Park: The Gardens of the Villa d'Este (ca. 1762/5). Gouache on vellum. 7 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (197 x 242 mm). Thaw Collection; 1997.85.

© The Morgan Library and Museum

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:

Rococo

Date and Place of Birth:

April 5, 1732, Paris, France

Life:

Fragonard is best known for painting romantic scenes of frivolity and gaiety. His style seems to be the embodiment of the Rococo era. In a stroke of bad timing, he caught the tail end of the movement and was ruined financially by the French Revolution. He was a prolific painter who left a large body of work.

Important Works:

  • The Swing, 1769
  • The Reader, 1772
  • Progress of Love (series of four canvases), 1771-73

Date and Place of Death:

August 22, 1806, Paris, France

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