Scène nocturne, dite Le songe du mendiant

This nocturnal scene in the Louvre, called Le Songe du Mendiant (The Beggar's Dream), represents Fragonard's occasional engagement with subjects of poverty and social marginality. Such themes gained currency in later eighteenth-century French art as Enlightenment social consciousness grew. The bravura brushwork—rapid, swirling strokes building luminous effects—was applied alla prima onto canvas primed with warm ochre grounds, a technique Fragonard developed after studying Tiepolo in Venice.

The dramatic nocturnal lighting creates strong chiaroscuro contrasts, with the sleeping figure illuminated against deep shadows. The loose brushwork renders the dreamlike atmosphere with characteristic atmospheric sensitivity.