Jean-Honoré Fragonard "The Birth of Venus" | History and Characteristics
Artist: Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Title: The Birth of Venus
Period: Rococo
Date: 1755
Historical Context
Rococo art characteristics:
Following the dark, emotional Baroque movement, a significantly lighter and more delicate artistic period began to emerge in 18th century France—
Rococo, sometimes referred to as Late Baroque, is a highly decorative style of art, furniture, and architecture. It is characteristically elegant and playful in design, rendered with cheery pastel colors and curved lines.
Forming as a counter to the rigid formality of life under the Baroque period, the lighthearted Rococo movement is starkly different from its predecessor. Thus, in order to fully understand why the Rococo movement began, we first need to understand a little bit about the Baroque.
What is Baroque art, and why did it lead to the Rococo art movement?
The Palace of Versailles. Image source.
The Baroque period grew out of the Catholic Counter-Reformation; primarily funded by the Catholic Church, Baroque art was used as a tool to portray their power and connect with society through highly emotional, grand, and dramatic pieces that were often religious in theme.
While the Baroque was rooted in Italy, it flourished in France under the rule of absolutist King Louis XIV.
Louis XIV, also referred to as the Sun King (as coined by himself), ruled for 72 years as an absolute monarch and is responsible for many of the greatest architectural achievements in France; notably, the Palace of Versailles, which is thought to be an icon both for the French Baroque and Louis XIV’s supreme rule.
Following Louis XIV’s death, the heavy-hand of the Baroque was no longer favored, and the center for French art shifted from Versailles to Paris.
The Rococo movement:
Image source: ThoughtCo.
The Rococo movement blossomed for only a small amount of time, but it carried France through a period of change. While King Louis XIV was a devout catholic, his passing lead to a societal shift towards secularism that the art of Rococo so charmingly sought to illustrate, specifically in painting.
France, now liberated from its absolute ruler and his religious stronghold, also found itself in an economic shift with an emerging middle class. While the wealthy aristocracy commissioned much of Rococo art, the developing bourgeoisie wanted to commission artists to show off their newly carefree, luxurious lifestyles as well.
As a result, Rococo paintings regularly depict the hedonistic lives of the upper and middle class, often including erotic undertones. With secularism in mind, Rococo paintings revived themes of Greek and Roman pantheism. Parallel to the convivial, affluent lives of the gods of antiquity, French Rococo is meant to arouse la joie de vivre.
The Birth of Venus Overview:
About Jean-Honoré Fragonard:
French painter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, typified the Rococo style in his paintings and is considered to be one of the few artists synonymous with the period.
He was a prolific painter, creating more than 500 paintings in his lifetime. When he wasn’t painting portraits, he focused primarily on leisurely outdoor scenes, illustrating the figure’s sweet dispositions with flirtatious smiles and knowing eyes.
Fragonard is most famous for the Rococo masterpiece, The Swing, a playful and provocative illustration of the piece’s patron and his mistress. The Swing portrayed the shift to secularism in an array of pastels—a shift which is likewise endorsed through the resurgence of Roman mythology in Fragonard’s The Birth of Venus.
A closer look at The Birth of Venus:
Certainly, if the Baroque was about intense piety, the reactionary fresh breath of Rococo’s secularism can be effectively witnessed through The Birth of Venus. In true Rococo fashion, the figures are relaxed and whimsical, illustrated with curved lines and adorned with soft expressions and rosy cheeks.
The Birth of Venus
Because Jean-Honoré Fragonard lacked recognition prior to his passing in 1806 and the vast majority of his works were left untitled, there is little information to be gathered on why he created The Birth of Venus.
Luckily, with Rococo, there is intentionally little meaning to be uncovered in the first place. The piece was likely made for decorative purposes and is meant solely to be enjoyed.
