Jean Honoré Fragonard ( * 1732 † 1806 )

Portrait of Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard

Biography of Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard

The darling of the aristocrats

Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard was born on April 5, 1732 in Grasse, France. He was a French Rococo painter and etcher.

When he was six years old, his family moved to Paris. During his training as a notary, he showed a great interest in painting and drawing. The lawyer, under whom Fragonard served as an apprentice, suggested that he start training as a painter.

Around 1748, the Frenchman did his first artistic training with the most famous Rococo artist of his time: François Boucher. Boucher noticed the boy's potential. He shaped Fragonard's style and methods.

Following the recommendation of François Boucher, Fragonard took part in the Prix de Rome Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1752. Jean-Honoré Fragonard won the scholarship with his picture "Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Golden Calf". In the academy he copied the artists of the Roman Baroque and made numerous sketches. He admired the masters of the Dutch and Flemish schools. This influence was evident in a series of strong heads of old men and a series of portraits.

During a trip through Italy, Fragonard found inspiration in the Italian landscape, nature and ancient sites.

In 1765 Fragonard returned to Paris and was accepted into the Royal Academy. The impressions of the trip promoted his artistic development and he made a name for himself with landscapes. The artist was drawn to the landscape, the gardens, the terraces and the temples.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard lived in the time when neoclassicalism flourished. However, the artist could not adapt to the new style and remained true to his colorful, romantic scenes and intimate representations. Fragonard was the last successful French Rococo artist.

Fragonard's death on August 22, 1806 in Paris went almost unnoticed, his work was ignored by many art historians for almost half a century and was considered out of date until around 1850.

 

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Art prints and oil reproductions by Jean Honoré Fragonard

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