Image Not Available
for JEAN-HONORE FRAGONARD (1732-1806)
JEAN-HONORE FRAGONARD (1732-1806)
--Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyFragonard, whose conviviality was legend, was described by his early biographers as a man of many love affairs as well as many talents. In reality, we know little of Fragonard's personal life; he left nothing in writing. In lieu of fact, his biography seems to have been derived from the images he created--erotic scenarios, frivolous gallant assemblies, and imaginative allegories. Much like his teacher Boucher, Fragonard's art evokes the courtly fantasies of the eighteenth century. Also like Boucher, Fragonard's fanciful subject matter has caused him to be underestimated as a serious painter. His themes, while never profound, were done with a sensitivity to color and texture that reveals a sincere love for the pleasures of the senses. The beguiling Mlle. Guimard (1743-1816) was a celebrated French dancer and star of the Opéra in Paris. Her numerous love affairs made her even more famous than her performing talents; nevertheless, she died a respectable woman, having married a well-known author when she retired. The UMFA's charming work is discussed and illustrated in a book by Georges Wildenstein dated 1960, and in a comprehensive catalogue of Fragonard's oil paintings by Jean-Pierre Cuzin published in 1988.
--Utah Museum of Fine Arts