A Young Girl Reading by Jean-Honroé Fragonard

Due to my fascination with the 18th century rococo movement, art during this period almost always intrigues me. One of my favorite artists from this time is Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Fragonard was one of the most prolific artists in his day and is well known for his painting, The Swing, which depicts a young girl in court dress swinging frivolously while being being watched by her lover and an inconspicuous onlooker. Another one of Fragonards paintings done a decade earlier in 1776 has always fascinated me. Titled, A Young Girl Reading, it features just that.  The pillow this girl is resting against looks like the most comfortable and sumptuous pillow one has ever seen. The subject, who has remained unidentified, has little hands that hold her book in a way that would seem most uncomfortable, and yet she looks as relaxed as ever. Today, one can view this painting in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.