Jean Honore' Fragonard Biography
Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard, French Rococo painter and printmaker, was born on April 5, 1732 in Grasse, France. At the age of six he moved with his family to Paris, where he showed a great interest in painting and drawing during his training as a notary. Thanks to the suggestion of the lawyer with whom he apprenticed, Fragonard began his training as an artist.
In 1748, Fragonard completed his first artistic training with François Boucher, the most famous Rococo artist of his time. Boucher noticed Fragonard's potential and influenced the young artist's style and methods.
Following Boucher's recommendation, Fragonard entered the Prix de Rome of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1752, winning the scholarship with his painting "Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Golden Calf". During his time at the academy, Fragonard copied Roman Baroque artists and made numerous drafts. He admired the masters of the Dutch and Flemish schools, whose influence was manifested in a series of heads of elderly men and in a series of portraits.
While traveling through Italy, Fragonard found inspiration in Italy's landscape, nature and ancient sites.
In 1765 Fragonard returned to Paris and was accepted into the Royal Academy. His travel had developed his artistic sense and made him a leading figure in landscape art. Fragonard was attracted by the landscape, gardens, terraces and temples.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard lived in the heyday of neoclassicism. But having failed to adapt to the new style, he remained faithful to his colorful, romantic scenes and intimate representations. Fragonard was the last successful French Rococo artist.
Fragonard's death on 22 August 1806 in Paris was almost ignored and his works were considered unfashionable for almost half a century, until around 1850.
