This exhibition explores a less familiar aspect of Fragonard's career. The Fountain of Love and The Sacrifice of the Rose are shown together with related paintings, drawings and prints produced in the 1780s, when his work underwent a profound change. Darker in palette, emotionally rich, obscure in meaning, these mysterious works differ radically from the artist's most famous pictures. They demonstrate how his painting evolved as he responded to new stylistic trends during this tumultuous period of French history.
This exhibition was organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.