The French Revolution and Neo-Classicism

 

The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard c. 1767 in London

    My blog today will mostly be aligned to the French Revolution and Neo-Classicism as well as Rococo. Both styles were prevalent in France during the era of their revolution. The first artist I want to look at is, Jean-Honore Fragonard. He was an extremely prolific French painter who painted more than 500 paintings during his time. Unfortunately, after the Revolution seemed to have ended his career by sending his major clientele under the guillotine causing him to fade out of the public eye until his death in 1806.

    Fragonard's artwork has a lot of color, as we can see in The Swing, pictured above. Like most of his work, his piece is very aesthetically pleasing. There are a lot of tiny details littered across the page, but it doesn't feel cluttered. The focus of the painting is the woman on the swing, who unlike the rest of the painting isn't draped in greens. She is covered in pinks and whites, and even the area around her is done in brighter colors with a break in the trees with the brighter colors directing attention to her. It is said that The Swing is lightheartedly sexual in its nature. I don't necessarily interpret it as this. I do sense a desire for the woman from the men, but I do not find it overtly sexual. This may just be from the standards of today being different. I do like the piece, but I'm not sure that I would necessarily keep it. It doesn't fit with other styles of artwork that I have.

    Another influential artist, who was also a revolutionary activist during the French Revolution is Jacques-Louis David. Fragonard was considered more Rococo style art, however David focused on Neo-Classicism. David did not want to focus on aesthetic the way that Rococo artists did. He, instead decided to paint pictures that displayed moralism. Right and wrong. He wanted to send a message with his artwork. Notably, he even worked on propaganda for the revolution itself.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David c. 1805 painted in France

    I choose to analyze Napoleon crossing the Alps because it is interesting to me that David would disagree ultimately with Napoleon's regime, but would regularly be commissioned by him. The entire painting works on a diagonal plane, everything moving upwards to the left. It paints Napoleon as he was, a heroic conqueror. His facial features are made angular, which is seen as a common practice when making someone look heroic or powerful in demeanor. Napoleon is calm while his horse's front is raised to signify how poised and collect he is. Most of he detail and color is front and center, on Napoleon. The red catches the eye and forces you then to look a his stoic face. Along with this, a majority of the rest of the painting is sparsely detailed and bland in color, to not distract from the focus. I do love the care in his piece, but it's simply not for me. Especially with what Napoleon represented. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful piece of work. 

Marble Bust of King Louie XVI by Jean-Antoine Houdon c. 1890, France 

    The last work I will analyze is a marble bust of King Louis XVI. This is out of my comfort zone because I am not necessarily familiar with sculpting. The level of care and detail I find remarkable. It's almost as if Houdon took a mold of King Louis XVI himself and cast it. The clothing is rumpled in a realistic way, other details are etched in carefully, and even an inspection of the hair is done well. I do really love the detail. I would love to own a piece by Houdon, but maybe not specifically King Louis XVI.

WORKS CITED:

Unknown Author. “Jean-Honore Fragonard.” Artble, 19 July 2017, www.artble.com/artists/jean-honore_fragonard.

"Jacques-Louis David Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2021. TheArtStory.org

Content compiled and written by Jessica DiPalma

Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Sarah Archino

Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/david-jacques-louis/

First published on 25 Jul 2017. Updated and modified regularly

[Accessed 15 Mar 2021]