Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Around 1769, the French Rococo master Jean-Honoré Fragonard created what are now called his "fantasy portraits." These lively paintings feature people dressed in elaborate costumes, painted with very free and flowing strokes, and using vivid colors. These works are among his most famous and loved, but a lot of mystery also surrounds them. There's been a lot of discussion about why he made them—whether they show real people or not is still unclear. He is said to have painted each one in just an hour.
Young Girl Reading is one of Fragonard's fantasy portraits. His way of painting is just as important in this artwork as the young woman it shows. He used quick brushstrokes to make her face look like she's blushing. Her dress, ribbons, and cushion are made with bold and smooth lines of color that aren't mixed together. To create the lace around her neck and the top part of her dress, Fragonard used the back end of his brush to make lines through the wet paint. Originally, the girl in this painting was looking at us, but Fragonard changed it to show her deep in her reading.
P.S. Do you like to read? Here's how reading (and books) was depicted in 6 amazing paintings! If you want to see more beautiful art by Fragonard and other Rococo artists, see the articles below!
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