Fanfan
Jean Honoré Fragonard French
Not on view
Fragonard excelled at portraying small children in images that capture their innocence and playfulness. Here, a charmingly disheveled child with blond curls rushes forward clutching his dolls while two tiny dogs try to pull one from his grasp. Using a wide range of marks, from hatching to wiggles to dots, Fragonard contrasts the sunlit paleness of the boy with a shadowy background. Although the model has not survived, other prints made in 1778 by the artist suggest that this etching is based on a brown wash drawing, in reverse direction and probably of larger dimensions than the print. His pupil, and sister-in-law, Marguerite Gérard also made an etching after the same model.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.