Fragonard, always so socially committed, portrays us the life of the most disadvantaged at that time. Two wigged Frenchmen are swinging an exuberant courtesan. One of them lies down among nature to see if he can see something under those skirts so rococo that they produce cloying.
The implicit narrative of The Swing, like the best of gossip, has contributed to the painting's enduring popularity among aesthetes and sophisticates; scandal never goes out of style.
The menacing Cupid, a sculpture that has its own complicated history and set of associations, adds a serious note to the composition, with the continuance of marble as a reminder that time can be cruel to love; the sensual pleasure celebrated in the painting is like the climax of a moving swing, momentary and unsustainable. The young woman on the swing looks like a flower, her skirts like petals, echoing in color and texture those of the bushes below, suggesting that she, like a flower, will fade after being plucked. Her beauty is made more valuable by her impending loss; she is momentarily illuminated but will move away from the light when her arc reverses. A space outside the artificial rules of society, the garden was associated with freedom and the natural, enhancing this thematic depth and allowing Fragonard to create drama through contrasts of light and shadow.
What is interesting about this work is that it is believed that Fragonard painted it on behalf of the Baron de Saint-Julien, who wanted a painting that reflected his affair with a married woman. Although the Baron never had the chance to own the painting, Fragonard is known to have displayed it at the Paris Academy, where it received praise for its elegant style and skillful technique.
In addition, The Swing has been subject to various interpretations over the years, either as a representation of the frivolity and extravagance of the Rococo period, or as a veiled social critique of the hypocrisy of the 18th century French aristocracy. In any event, the work remains one of Fragonard's most famous paintings and a leading example of the Rococo style.
The Swing is ranked no. 12 on the list of famous paintings
