The Gardener 1754 - 1755

"The Gardener" was painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard using oil paints, likely with a variety of brushes and a practiced hand. Oil paint allows for a smooth, almost porcelain-like finish, ideal for the delicate skin tones and luxurious fabrics depicted here. But look closer – the material realities of gardening peek through. Note the discarded watering can and rake. These aren’t just props. They're clues about labor, even if that labor is partly obscured by the painting's soft colors. The Rococo style, of which Fragonard was a master, often downplayed the hard work behind aristocratic leisure. But, the tools and costume of this gardener hint at the real social context of eighteenth-century France, where the elite depended on the labor of others to maintain their lifestyle. It is a vision steeped in luxury, even as it gestures towards the realities of labor that sustained it. Thinking about the materials and making of this painting lets us see beyond its immediate beauty, toward the broader social dynamics of its time.