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 clerk, he showed a great interest in painting and drawing. The lawyer under whom Fragonard served as an apprentice suggested he start training with a painter.
Around 1748, the Frenchman began his first artistic training with the most famous Rococo artist of his time: François Boucher. Boucher recognized the boy's potential and shaped Fragonard's style and methods.
On Boucher's recommendation, Fragonard participated in the Prix de Rome scholarship of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1752. Jean-Honoré Fragonard won the scholarship with his painting "Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Golden Calf." At the academy, he copied the artists of the Roman Baroque and created numerous sketches. He admired the masters of the Dutch and Flemish schools. This influence was evident in a series of powerful heads of old men and a series of portraits.
During a journey through Italy, Fragonard found inspiration in the Italian landscape, nature, and ancient sites.
In 1765, Fragonard returned to Paris and was admitted to the Royal Academy. The impressions from his travels enhanced his artistic development, and he made a name for himself with landscape depictions. The artist was drawn to landscapes, gardens, terraces, and temples.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard lived during a time when Neoclassicism was flourishing. However, the artist could not adapt to the new style and remained true to his colorful, romantic scenes and intimate depictions. Fragonard was the last successful French Rococo artist.
Fragonard's death on August 22, 1806, in Paris went almost unnoticed; his works were ignored by many art historians for nearly half a century and were considered outdated until around 1850.
© MYARTPRINTS.COM