Adoration of the Shepherds
Historical Context
Fragonard's Adoration of the Shepherds from around 1775, in the Louvre, is one of his religious paintings that reveal a dimension beyond the frivolous Rococo subjects for which he is best known. Fragonard's treatment of sacred subjects, while less celebrated than his amorous genre scenes, demonstrates the same bravura technique and atmospheric sensitivity. The painting was created during a period when French taste was shifting toward Neoclassical severity, leaving Fragonard's exuberant Rococo manner increasingly out of fashion.
Technical Analysis
Fragonard's characteristically rapid, energetic brushwork creates atmospheric effects of light and shadow that give the Nativity scene a visionary quality. The warm palette and the dynamic arrangement of figures around the radiant Christ Child demonstrate his ability to adapt his spontaneous technique to devotional subjects.
