L’Amour triomphant 1765 - 1770

Jean-Honoré Fragonard painted ‘L’Amour triomphant’ in the late 18th century, a period defined by the reign of the French aristocracy. Here, Fragonard presents us with a vision of love as a triumphant force. Consider the implications of love and triumph being embodied by a cherubic figure, a symbol often associated with innocence and purity, while the institution of marriage remained a cornerstone of social and economic strategy. The work presents a putto, a chubby male child, with wings raising a wreath of flowers in victory. He stands atop a plinth and is surrounded by shrubbery that blocks an opening with a gate. Is the child cupid blocking the figures from true freedom? Fragonard invites us into a world where love is both playful and powerful, a narrative that perhaps served as an escape from the rigid social structures of his time. While the artwork is pretty, I am left wondering if love can truly triumph when it operates within such carefully constructed boundaries.