Happy Birthday to Jean Honoré Fragonard!

by Gregg Chadwick

 Happy Birthday to Jean Honoré Fragonard, born on this day in 1732.

I have loved this painting since I first viewed it at the National Gallery in Washington, DC as a young art student. Fragonard's rapid brushwork seems to capture the energy of this young woman's thoughts as she ventures into the realm of the mind. And for me, her rich yellow dress with the alizarin violet bow brings forth the colors of Spring. 
Jean Honoré Fragonard
French, 1732 - 1806
Young Girl Reading
c. 1770
oil on canvas
overall: 81.1 x 64.8 cm (31 15/16 x 25 1/2 in.)
framed: 104.9 x 89.5 x 2.2 cm (41 5/16 x 35 1/4 x 7/8 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Mellon Bruce in memory of her father, Andrew W. Mellon

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