ure was used by the Neo-Classicist to repudiate Rococo. By giving their form of art masculine qualities like logic and structure, Neo-Classicists asserted their form of art as being valid in a male dominated society. They claimed that Rococo paintings have no sense of order or logic; they believed the same is true of a woman making a decision. The most crucial form of evidence that suggests the difference in the process of deciding conveyed by each painting is the subject matter of each work, and how the placement of figures is essential to this process. The subject matter of each work is clearly distinct from the other. The Swing represents a delight that could only be enjoyed by those of the aristocracy. The Death of Socrates is a history painting, a favorite genre of the Neo-Classicist. In Fragnorad’s work, the placement of figures helps the viewer understand what is taking place in the painting. Fragonard introduces the viewer with three figures: a young man who is closest to the foreground, a young woman on a swing, and an older man placed aside in a shadow. The young man seems to be looking up the young woman’s dress. The woman seems to be flirting with him. She is so carefree that she kicks her shoe off as she enjoys herself on the swing. However, the older man who is put aside in the shadow does not seem to be enjoying these events. As a result, he wants to limit the woman’s enjoyment, by pulling the woman back from the swing. What is the relationship between all these figures? With the visual evidence we have gathered, we can argue that the young man closest to the viewer is the potential lover of the young woman on the swing. The older man who pulls the young woman away is the husband of the young woman. In essence, he is pulling his wife away from a potential infidelity. We say potential infidelity because she is still in the process of deciding. The act of swinging represents the whole proc...
