Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Work and the Theatre Culture of the 18th Century

Abstract

The article, for the first time, exami­nes the work of the master of the 18th century Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732—1806) within the context of the theatre culture of that time. Being a student of François Boucher (1703—1770), who was working as a theater decorator for a long time, Fra­gonard from his youth had the opportunity to join the world of theater. The painter’s passion for the stage greatly influenced the thema­tic and figu­rative composition of his works. Early histo­rical pain­tings of Fragonard, such as “Jeroboam Sacrifi­cing to Idols” (1752, School of Fine Arts, Paris), were crea­ted under the influence of Baroque thea­ter and decorative art and opera productions. Undoubtedly, Fragonard’s familiarity with theatre was promoted by his long stay in Italy, where the famous families of theater decorators Bibiena and Galliari was wor­king at that time. The article pays special attention to the process of planning and execution of the painting “The High Priest Coresus Sacrificing Himself to Save Callirhoe” (1765, Louvre), made not without regard to the opera “Callirhoe”, popular in Paris in the 18th century. It was theater that inspired the master to create his famous costume series of “Fantasy Portraits”, one of which depicted Marie-Madeleine Guimard (1743—1816), who not only had posed for the artist, but also ordered him to design her own mansion conceived as a temple of Terpsichore, the Muse of dance. In addition, Fragonard was the author of several panoramic genre paintings conveying the atmosphere of the then popular street theater. Works of this brilliant master exem­plify the relationship of arts that determined the nature of the cultural environment of that era and requires constant attention from modern researchers.