The Conversation by Fragonard

Intimate Conversation by Jean-Honoré Fragonard is a brush and ink wash drawing of two women of French court society in a domestic interior, an older woman speaking into the ear of a younger, possibly a portrait of mother and daughter. The easygoing humanity of the subjects, vivacious brushwork and attention to their lavish dress are a hallmark to the lighthearted approach of the French Rococo era. Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) was a late Rococo painter of the French Ancien Régime whose works were distinguished by painterly facility and exuberance. Originally a pupil of Chardin, Fragonard produced a large number of works until the growing fashion of neo-classicism and the death of his patrons in the French Revolution forced him to flee into obscurity. Fragonard’s reputation revived in the late 19th century, when his sense of colour and painterly brushwork inspired new generations of the Impressionists such as Renoir.