Morality & the Art of the Classical Era
The Swing, is Fragonard's first piece that wasn't for a royal family and intended as a private piece to keep in a space called the cabinet. This painting was designed at the request of an aristocrat man who wished to have his mistress sitting on a swing, being pushed by a bishop that you can see in the background to the right. Fawning over the beloved woman, is the man in the bushes whom this piece was intended for, his facial expressions full of desire and love struck. The mistress, the married man, and the bishop all go against societal norms and promote the pleasure and moral defiance that was taken into consideration in Rococo Art. Furthermore, we can see through the pastel pink, lushes garden, and the porcelain like faces that this a Rococo art piece. The marble statue to the left is also a reference to Greek and Roman mythology that was commonly seen in Rococo art as well, it stands as a reference to Madame de Pompadour that was created for King Louis XV by his mistress. Lastly, this painting is meant to be erotic, Fragonard uses light and lines to draw the eyes to the woman’s legs, revealing her stockings while the man has his arm extended toward her, intensifying this secretive and erotic relationship.
This next piece, by French painter Francois Boucher was made for Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, the famous mistress of King Louis XV in 1750 titled The Love Letter.
Again, we can see the pastel colors used in the women’s dress as well as in the flowers as they sit in the classical era background that is the green garden for a Rococo art piece. The women are sitting close together that give off the impression that they are friends, preparing a pigeon to send off to a loved one. However, when I first seen this piece, it felt as this was a meeting of two women sharing love for one another. The gazes painted between the two by Boucher, ignite a taboo thought that perhaps there is more going on between the two. Considering this was a painting for mistress Jeanne Antoinette we can imagine that perhaps this love note is erotic and meant for a secret lover, demonstrating the defying morals that were done through Rococo art.
Lastly, we can begin to see the change from Rococo to Neoclassical art in this piece by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1814 called La Grande Odalisque.
This painting, meaning “a woman in a harem” displays the linear and classic mythology references uses in Neoclassical art, that this one is intended to be similar to Venus. La Grande Odalisque was commissioned by the Queen of Naples, Caroline Murat and was made to go with an earlier piece of Ingres called Sleeper of Naples. Although this piece has no heroism or shows a story of patriotism it still begins to further demonstrate the separation from religion and traditional norms and began to return back to the usage of Roman ideals. Additionally, we can see the dramatic color change from light pastels to the dark and rich colors now being used. Although the woman’s skin is still soft and silky, she appears more like a real person as compared to the Rococo style with the pale white skin and rosy cheeks.
What I find most interesting about Rococo art is how the shift of change went from focusing on objects and things during the Baroque era, to focusing on relationships and people. I find Rococo art to be cute and playful that I would have never realized all the symbolism and erotic stories that comes with it, but I would still love to own a piece of The Swing. All three pieces, although from different eras break the morals and were intended to evoke emotions of sexuality.
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