The Swing

c. 1767–68

Oil on canvas, 32 × 25 1/4 in. The Wallace Collection, London

A courtier wanted his young lover painted on a swing; Fragonard tells the joke with light, one burst of sun on pink silk.

Look at

Beyond the lit dress and pale sky at upper left, the garden sinks into blue-green shadow.
The ropes come down from upper right to the seat; the kicked leg and flying slipper carry the movement left, to the man looking up.
The foliage is loose feathery touches; the dress is the most sharply painted passage, its highlights laid in as small crisp strokes.

Doyen turned the 1767 commission down and passed it to Fragonard. The unnamed patron wanted a bishop at the ropes; Fragonard painted a layman.
Cleaned in 2021: the yellowed varnish came off and small changes to the knee and petticoat were found.