Saint Luke
c. 1764
Before he became the king of French romance, Fragonard was a student in Italy obsessed with the Old Masters. This sketch, dated around 1764, is actually a copy of a work by the Baroque painter Giovanni Lanfranco in Naples—as the scribbled note at the bottom reveals. He captures Saint Luke surrounded by a tangle of cherubs and billowing drapery with such frantic, scratchy energy that the scene feels like it's in motion. It’s a perfect example of how he took heavy, dramatic religious themes and lightened them up with his signature Rococo flair.
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