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List of Images: Figure 1: Fragonards The Swing 1767, Oil on Canvas

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

 Figure 2: Titians Venus of Urbino 1538, Oil on Canvas

Figure 3: Parmigianinos Madonna with the Long Neck 1535, Oil on Canvas

 Symbolism of erotic court-life in Jean-Honor Fragonards The Swing In the early 1700s to around 1770, a new painting genre entitled Fte galante, brought to popularity by Antoine Watteau, emphasized the frivolous pursuits of the rich nobles of the French court. These pursuits, related to the eroticism that took place within the Chateau of Versailles during Louis XIVs reign, were often romantic or lustful in nature and were therefore often painted with clear symbolism of sex. Jean-Honor Fragonard, a prolific

French painter that worked within the years of the late Rococo and was heavily influenced by artists of the fte galante genre, often imbued his works with a sense of intimacy and eroticism. While thinly veiled, the eroticism remained far less pronounced than within the work of some of his great contemporaries, such as Franois Boucher. In this paper, I will investigate what elements of Fragonards The Swing evoke eroticism and how they do so. The most obvious instance of erotic symbolism in The Swing (See Figure 1) is the spreading of the young womans legs in open view of the man in front of her. A young woman is shown swinging in the seclusion of a hidden garden nook accompanied by two men. It is immediately clear that this woman is having a nice time: her demeanor is relaxed, the placement of her hands on the rope is loose, her cheeks are flushed red and most importantly, her enjoyable ride has literally propelled her to kick her shoe off in relaxation in the general direction of the man towards her. This is the first clear erotic symbol as the tossed shoe often connotes female abandon to passion and a bare foot often symbolizes lost virginity within works of art1. Within art up until this point (this not considering the work of Boucher, whose work was sexually obvious almost to the point of vulgarity), small gestures and symbols of eroticism could carry a very powerful message: A rosy flush or coy smile such as
1 Donal Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard

(College Art Association, 1982), 86.

 the one observed in Venus of Urbino by Titian (See Figure 2) or subtle hand placement like the one in Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino (See Figure 3) all carried heavy sexual implication. These subtle symbols were already very sexually charged so Fragonards decision to display this woman with her legs spread, (this without yet considering the fact that she has a male admirer directly in front of her), is very erotic imagery. When her male companions are taken into account however, the painting moves away from suggested eroticism to obvious sexual imagery. The mans rosy flush,

complemented by the way his hand motions towards the direction of the womans spread legs goes beyond allusion, instead almost evoking a distinct image of sexuality and sexual relations in the viewers imagination. The mans hand is not directly point at her legs; rather he is holding a hat. This is not, however, free of erotic imagery either. As Jennifer Milam writes in her journal on Fragonards swinging scenes, The male hat, as Posner has shown, was commonly used in rococo art to hide an erection. Here, the hat is off, indicating male abandon to excitement and passion. The opening of the cap conveniently catches up some of the rose bush (a conventional symbol of female sexuality) and with this fitting of parts quite literally makes a visual pun on sexual engagement2. This scene would not carry all the eroticism it does however, despite all the symbolism, had it been placed in a different setting. My next point concerns the setting of The Swing and how this setting contributes to the erotic imagery and atmosphere of the painting. The setting in which Fragonard has placed this relatively large swing does not accurately match the location required for such a grand set-up: One does not swing in places like the one shown. There is hardly space for the

2 Jennifer

Milam, Eighteenth-Century Studies: Playful Constructions and Fragonards Swinging Scenes (Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2000), 549.

 swing, and the spot is so overgrown that it looks positively unsafe for swinging3. It is therefore important to note the two main reasons Fragonard placed this swing in an

overgrown underbrush of a garden. First, the outdoor garden setting is in line with the artistic conventions of the rococo eras fete galante genre painting, which was originally influenced by the grand and fantastical gardens at the Chateau of Versailles. Secondly, the atmosphere evoked with the thick forest scene is one of mystery and secrecy. Acts of eroticism would go unaccounted for, hidden by the overgrown shrubs and plants that spill out over the canvas: [Fragonard] wanted to establish a mood of tremulous excitement by the dense twisting and turning of trees and bushes, and by the sparkling activity of leaves shimmering silver in the blue-green atmosphere of what at first seems a forest glade. It is not, in fact, a forest, but a bit of garden that Fragonard has represented () The sculptures are evidence that this is caredfor, protected property. Still, the look of a forest is clearly deliberate4. Another important element of eroticism evoked by the setting is that of female sexuality, evoked by the rosebuds featured prominently in The Swing. Rosebuds are a very common symbol of female sexuality, and the symbolism within the fact that one of the womans male companions has fallen into a bush full of them is not lost on the viewer5. It is clear that Fragonard wants to embed the scene with oozing sexuality and eroticism. Fragonard does not stop there however, and continues emphasizing the underlying erotic undertone of The Swing with a strong presence of Greek statues heavy in symbolism. There are two statues present in the garden scene of The Swing and their subject matter and positions both allude to the subtle eroticism of the painting. On the left, Cupid
3 Donal

Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard (College Art Association, 1982), 84. 4 Donal Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard (College Art Association, 1982), 84-85. 5 Jennifer Milam, Eighteenth-Century Studies: Playful Constructions and Fragonards Swinging Scenes (Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2000), 549.

 holds up a silencing finger to his lips, a symbol of secrecy. It is clear here that this is a reference to an affair of some sort, also emphasized by the presence of two men in the composition with the woman swinging back and forth between them but this will be elaborated upon later. On the right, there are two cherubs riding what seems to be a dolphin. According to Donald Posner in his essay on the swinging women in Fragonards pieces, this serves to emphasize the theme of love and the rising tide of passion: Because dolphins driven by cupids draw the water-chariot of Venus, they appear in art to denote the impatient surge of love6. While they are a subtle presence, the statues add an important element of

emphasis in the eroticism of the piece. One of the most prominent symbols of eroticism in the piece however, occurs between these two statues: The swing itself. Quite obviously, part of the main subject matter of The Swing is the swing at the center of the piece. The swing itself is one of the more important symbols of eroticism and sex in the piece. First, the back-and-forth of the swing alludes to one of the more popular meanings of swings in pieces of the time, fickleness and inconstancy: Womens inconstancy in affairs of the heart was one of the most popular associations made with the swinging, which in part explains why one rarely sees any but women on the swings in eighteenthcentury art () In more ambitious works where [the artist] shows swinging [as opposed to a static swing scene], he weaves the idea of inconstancy into the fabric of their content7. However, while this is one of the interpretations of the swing as a symbol in the piece, there is another obvious interpretation of the back-and-forth motion that the swing produces, also noted by Jennifer Milam: Swinging alludes to the fickleness of women in the emblematic
6 Donal

Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard (College Art Association, 1982), 84. 7 Donal Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard (College Art Association, 1982), 76.

 tradition, but also, with its rhythmic motion, to the act of lovemaking8. Additionally, the swing could refer to the constant games and flirting that would accompany high-society romance, as noted by Hugh Honour in his commentary on sex in art: [The] swing soon

acquired further connotations. It seemed to epitomize the pleasure-loving, licentious spirit of the ancient regime and in particular, the fickleness and inconstancy ascribed to women in high society, their teasing changes of mind if not of heart in the perpetual to-and-fro game of light-hearted, feet-off-the-ground flirtation9. Finally, the position in which Fragonard has painted the swing, in the climax of its trajectory and velocity, could be interpreted as sexual symbolism of an orgasm: Indeed, a straightforward description of what one sees proves to be almost embarrassingly frank: the woman is in motion, her legs are parted, her pink dress opens. The man is in the rose bush, hat off, and arm erect and well aimed. And suddenly, to her own delight, as she reaches the peak of her ride, the womans shoe flies off her foot10. The kicking off of the womans shoe, a final demonstration of the cumulating excitement, further emphasizes this. A final element of the eroticism is a subtle but nevertheless important one. The womans outfit is comprised of two important elements that highlight the subtle eroticism of the piece. First, the color of the womans dress can be interpreted as an allusion to female genitalia both in its color and form. The dress is a fleshy, rosy pink and it is comprised of many folds and layers, which bears resemblance to female genitalia. Additionally, the woman is wearing a shepherdess hat. This could be an ironic symbol put in place by Fragonard as a subtle joke with the viewer, or it could simply be an addition to the contemporary dress of the
8 Jennifer

Milam, Eighteenth-Century Studies: Playful Constructions and Fragonards Swinging Scenes (Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2000), 549. 9 Hugh Honour and John Fleming, A World History of Art (New York: Laurence King Publishing, 2005), 415. 10 Donal Posner, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard (College Art Association, 1982), 88.

 time. The subtle joke would lie in the typical association of shepherds with purity and innocence, given their close relationship with nature and virtuous ways of life. In conclusion, Fragonards The Swing is full of erotic symbolism, with some elements being much more prominent or obvious than others. All of them come together in a harmonious way however and add beautiful aesthetic elements to the composition while creating the subtle undertone of eroticism. The main components of this erotic imagery are the swing itself, the unshod foot and kicking off of the shoe as well as the forest-like scene. All these elements come together to form a relatively obvious image of sexual innuendo and eroticism.

 Bibliography: -

10

Honour, Hugh and John Fleming, A World History of Art. New York: Laurence King

Publishing, 2005. Milam, Jennifer, Eighteenth-Century Studies: Playful Constructions and Fragonards

Swinging Scenes. Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2000. Posner, Donald, The Art Bulletin: The Swinging Women of Watteau and Fragonard.

College Art Association, 1982. Images obtained from Wikimedia Commons.