Fragonard, Jean-Honoré (1732-1806)
La Liseuse (Young Girl Reading)
c.1769
Oil on canvas, 81.1 x 64.8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Shown from the lap up, a young woman with pale skin, wearing a goldenrod-yellow dress, sits reading a small book, facing our left in profile in this vertical painting. The deep, scooped neckline of her rich yellow gown is edged with lace and decorated with a mauve-purple bow at the bust. Her chest is covered by sheer white fabric under a ruffled, pleated collar. The ruff is tied at the back with another mauve bow, and a ribbon of the same color ties up her chestnut-brown hair. She has a delicate nose and rosebud mouth, and she tips her head down to read the book she holds in one hand. She sits against an oversize pillow streaked with pale lilac and deep rose pink. Her left arm, closer to us, is draped over a railing that extends across the width of the canvas. The background behind her is streaked with tan and muted teal blue. A vertical strip of light caramel brown along the right edge of the canvas suggests another wall against which the pillow rests. The artist’s loose, lively brushstrokes are visible throughout.
Fragonard’s brushwork is as much the subject of this painting as the young woman. A flurry of rapid marks captures her blushing face. Bold, fluid strokes of unblended color define her dress, ribbons, and cushion. Fragonard created the lace of her ruff (the frill around her neck) and the bodice of her dress by dragging his brush handle through the paint while it was still wet. Young Girl Reading is part of the “fantasy portrait” series, in which Fragonard’s friends and patrons are dressed in elaborate costumes. He supposedly painted each portrait in an hour. Like the others in the series, the girl in this painting originally faced the viewer, but Fragonard later repainted her absorbed in reading. (NGA)