The Swing epitomizes this aesthetic shift. In the painting, the woman is set against a lush, unruly, and vast garden with streams of soft light illuminating the curling branches and intricate foliage. Like the lines we see in baroque paintings, the light surges diagonally from the top left of the canvas, immediately subverting the symmetrical composition of classicism. This way of depicting nature – how the light gently illuminates the fertile, ornate vegetation – creates a sense of mythological fantasy. This is heightened by the presence of cherubs below the woman and cupid above, symbolizing love and courtship. The whimsical romance of the piece is given a mischievous edge when we note that beneath the swinging woman is a man reclined in the foliage, looking directly up her billowing skirt. In the shadows to the left of the canvas, there’s an older man pulling on the ropes that propel the swing through the air.
This subject matter was scandalous for the time – The Swing creates the impression we are looking in on a secretive scene that even the painting’s subjects know is excessively lascivious – and that was exactly how the aristocracy wanted to be portrayed. The Swing was commissioned by a member of the royal court, and, like much rococo art, the painting was intended to be displayed in their private home. Prior to rococo, nobility was often associated with religion and education, depicted in acts of devotion or studious endeavors, but in rococo, it is pleasure and play that is at the forefront, just as the woman on the swing is shown in an act of sensual play. This better reflected the contemporary lives of nobility.
Stylistically, The Swing also embodied rococo. It is more painterly than baroque; visible, rapid brushstrokes give rococo paintings their energy and their ornamentation. In baroque, the paint is smoothed to create naturalistic gradients whereas in rococo, the oil paints layer and build-up. We can see examples of this in the bodice and ruffled hem of the young woman’s skirt. The use of pastel colors – pale pinks and muted greens and blues – were typical of rococo in all its decorative forms. It is these stylistic techniques, exemplified in Fragonard’s work, that gave the rococo such an unprecedented sense of mischievousness and indulgence.
Rococo and the feminine
Rococo is a movement often associated with femininity. Where baroque art was dark, dramatic and punishing – thought to be more masculine – rococo was light, fun and sensual. The use of pastel colors, the primacy of softness, and the subject of romance appeared to celebrate the feminine, appealing to the tastes, preferences and interests of women. Women were thought at the time to contribute significantly to those salon conversations about art, literature, and philosophy, as well as exercising notable influence in the aesthetic tastes of rococo. This much is alluded to in the autobiography of French painter, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842). Commissioned to do portraits of a range of aristocrats, and being of high social standing herself, Vigée Le Brun spent her time immersed in the world of the ruling class. In her three-part autobiography titled Souvenirs of Madame Vigée Le Brun, one of the first memoirs of a female artist ever published, Vigée Le Brun looks back on the time of rococo, recounting, "Women reigned then, the Revolution dethroned them” (1835, [2023]).
Several historic symbols of femininity came out of the rococo period such as Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764) and Marie Antoinette (1755–1793). Marie Antoinette became a symbol for late rococo tastes. Having moved from Austria to France to marry King Louis XVI (1754–1793), she was styled so that she might better conform to the lavish fashions of the French nobility. She became known for her intricate and flirty rococo dress, with frills, ribbons, bows, and ruffles adorning her gowns alongside those of the other courtly women that surrounded her. She gained a reputation as the life of the party which was accompanied by copious rumors about her late-night escapades, drinking, and affairs. Much like the rococo movement itself, Marie Antoinette was accused of being shallow, frivolous, and completely out of touch with the struggles of 18th century France. In this way, she is a perfect symbol for the fun, expressive, and feminine nature of rococo as well as the movement’s more critical reception.
The end of rococo
Marie Antoinette’s life of luxury was abruptly ended via guillotine during the French Revolution, the same catalyst that facilitated the demise of the rococo movement as it was. While the aristocracy was reveling in the playful ornamentation of rococo, there was increasing unrest throughout France. On one hand, there was the intellectual insurrection of the Enlightenment that questioned the God-given power bestowed upon the ruling classes. The Enlightenment in France called for the radical disintegration of the Church and monarch and the destabilization of the aristocracy. Rococo, as an extension of the privileged classes, was heavily criticized at this time by enlightenment thinkers like M. de Voltaire (1694–1778) and Jacques-François Blondel (1705–1774) for its frivolity and elitism at a time of such crisis.
On the other hand, there was economic instability in France. Between the excessive spending of Louis XVI and France’s support in the American Revolution, the country was fast approaching bankruptcy. This served to further illustrate the vast inequality in France. Both these circumstances fostered anger at the privileges of nobility and called for a French constitution. It was these conditions that precipitated the French Revolution in 1789. As Lynn Hunt and Jack Censer summarize,