작품 상세

JEAN-HONORÉ FRAGONARD (attributed to) , GRASSE, 1732 - PARIS, 1806 Erotic subjects Oil on canvas, a pair 29.4 x 36.4 cm Nothing implied here, everything is unpacked, exhibited, obscene. In these two symmetrically responding scenes, two couples engage in coitus in the so-called missionary position, where the man straddles the woman lying on the bed. Rather than erotic, the subject matter is clearly pornographic, intended to stimulate the viewer's desire. The women are naked while their riders remain partially clothed. If the private parts are voluntarily revealed, certain elements of the composition, such as the bolsters or the folds of the drapes, evoke these same sexual attributes... The two scenes function as pendants, where the bodies respond to each other and converge towards each other, forming the two lines of a triangle that are counterbalanced by the curtains of the alcoves. The disorder of the rooms reflects the urgency of the desire to be satisfied. Intended to adorn the rooms they showcase, these works serve as a mirror to their owners. Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) was a major painter of the French 18th century. Trained in the workshop of François Boucher (1703-1770), he was introduced to the master's rococo style. After winning the Prix de Rome at the age of 20, he went to Italy with Hubert Robert (1733-1808) and discovered the virtuoso painting of Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770). In 1765, he was admitted to the Academy as a history painter but left this great genre to devote himself to a more gallant, even erotic painting, more in tune with the tastes of the court of Louis XV. The lightness of his touch, which knows how to capture the fleeting moment of a glance or a kiss, always remains marked by elegance. Thus, in addition to an official production, the artist liked to paint more confidential scenes for an initiated clientele, fond of saucy works. As a chronicler of the unbridled mores of the Age of Enlightenment, Fragonard knew how to confine his sketches to the perimeter of an alcove, whose bed served as a setting for these ephemeral idylls. This painting of the intimate, intended for private flats, was very much in vogue in the middle of the 18th century, highly appreciated by the king and the libertine aristocracy. These small formats with their suave tones are wonderfully suited to the boudoirs and small cabinets for which they were intended. Provenance: Jacques Favre de Thierrens Collection (1895-1973); By descent to the present owner.