Interior 1778

Jean-Honoré Fragonard made this delicate drawing, titled "Interior", with brown wash and stylus underdrawing. It’s evocative of the intimate, domestic scenes favored during the Rococo period. Fragonard was working in a time when the aristocracy was losing its grip on power. You can sense that cultural shift in his work. The intimate scene is drawn as if it were a glimpse into a private world, perhaps reflecting the increasing focus on personal and domestic life during this period. The image is a study of gender roles. The woman is seated and grounded while the men stand above her. The drawing encapsulates a complex intersection of social status and personal experience. With its intricate detail and sense of private theater, the drawing makes us reflect on the relationships between individuals and the power dynamics in 18th-century French society.