...The Swing | Relatable Symbols of Then and Now | | Symbolism and allegory have always been prevalent themes in art, but before the 18th century, they appeared in western art mainly existed in religious, history, and philosophical painting. During the 18th century this changed as the art world shifted towards more secular subjects and settings. Jean- Honoré Fragonard in his 1766 painting The Swing (figure 1) uses symbolism and allegory to convey a scene of eroticism, scandal, and hidden meaning. Even though it was painted 250 years ago, these hidden meanings are still understandable and relevant today. Jean Honoré Fragonard was born at Grasse on April 5, 1732 where he lived until 15 years of age. His father, Francois Fragonard, went to live in Paris soon after his son’s 15th birthday where it was decided that his son should earn his living as a junior clerk in a notary’s office. This was not a suitable career for Honoré who was perpetually drawing and showed considerable artistic aptitude. The notary that he worked for advised the family to send their son to study under some painter saying, "For he will do far more good in copying pictures than he has ever done in transcribing deeds." Fragonard’s mother first took him to Francois Boucher, who was now at the height of his career. The great artist however was not in the habit of receiving amateur pupils and sent him to study under Chardin for 6 months. Fragonard made little progress, and Chardin informed his family...
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...Art and Culture Comparison The Renaissance, considered to be a time of rebirth, was within 1400-1600. The art during this time period consisted mainly of mythological figures and nudes. This art was inspired by the Classical world of Greece. Furthermore, the Baroque period, often referred to as a time of exploration and discovery, occurred during the seventeenth century. Baroque artwork is much like that of Renaissance art. The difference, however, is the much stronger portrayal of emotion within Baroque art. The Art of Europe and America followed after the Art of the Renaissance and Baroque period. This art era occurred between 1700-1900 when there was disarray between European and American societies. This hysteria eventually caused many societal changes to occur—referred to as the Enlightenment or The Age of Reason. During both of these eras, artists created their works from the turn of events that they were experiencing among society and would show reflections of their concerns of what was taking place through their art. Since the beginning of time, art has been inspired by several different aspects and created for numerous purposes. For example, some works of art were solely created for storytelling, and other works for memorial reasons. However, the significance of a work of art is not merely established because of its purpose for being created, but because of the piece’s symbolism, content, and form within each artwork instead. It is seen all throughout history that...
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...Rococo Art This paper defines and illustrates the Rococo movement. Rococo art was a highly sensual, light hearted movement and the art of this period greatly reflected a common way of thinking during this time. Art History II Rococo, meaning literally embedded pebble started in France at the beginning of the 18th Century, gaining popularity during the reign of Louis XV. (Rococo 1700 - 1775) Art from the Rococo movement was a reaction to the darker, heavier Baroque movement. The death of Louis the XIV brought about big changes to art and the patronage of art and the Rococo movement was one of these changes. (Kleiner, Fred S., and Helen Gardner) The start of the Rococo movement can be credited primarily to the death of Louis XIV. Upon the abandonment of Versailles by the French Nobility, they moved into Paris, and wanted to move away from the solemn Baroque style of the Palace of Versailles. So when the French court moved back into Paris, they redecorated their homes using the delicate forms and colors which would later be known as Rococo (A Brief History of Rococo Art). The Rococo movement started with interior design but soon made its way into other areas of art as well. (Rococo style | design) Rococo art, especially in architecture and interior design features natural elements such as shells, floral or leaf patterns ("Rococo Style," ). The art and architecture of this movement used highly organic forms (Style Guide: Rococo). An important and notable example of...
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