In unit two, our class discussed the importance of what a scene looks like and how it can have an effect on the interpretation of  a scene or artwork by a viewer. The scene I chose for my visual text was the iconic french painting, The Swing, by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. “The scene depicts a young man in the bushes, watching a beautiful woman on a swing, being pushed by an older man, who is nearly hidden away in the dark shadows. While during this time they are both unaware of the man below. When the lady swings up she flings one of her puffy pink shoes off in a carefree fashion” (The Swing). By looking at the clothing choice and the position of the people in the painting, we can interpret that these factors all show an elite carefree status, that helps bring the painting alive.

          The clothing choices used in this painting reflect on the way a viewer can see and interpret the painting and can also reflect on the time period and society the people are living in. The lady is wearing a “bergère hat (shepherdess hat) which is ironic since shepherds are normally associated with virtue” (Color Wheel Pro). This is because it depicted something that was untouched or uncorrupted by the temptations of the city. We, as readers and natural interpreters, can easily infer how interestingly the artist added this hat because it acts as a fashion statement and the woman is clearly not one with nature, due to the way she is lifted high above everyone else and the way she is contrasted against the forest background due to the pink she is wearing. This lady on the swing is clothed in a pink dress with the wind from the swing flowing beneath her, showing an elite carefree status. When she swings forward the wind catches under her dress, almost putting the women in a primitive state of mind to the young man while resting upon the swing. “The color pink is a color of compassion, nurturing and love,” which gives the two men a purpose in the painting (Rose Color Meanings). The two men seen in the picture are in light cream colors that basically blend into the background, also allowing the women to be the main person in this painting, and showing how she can easily not notice them and seems to stay in her own elite state of mind.

The pink color also gives contrast because the shoe is flying across the green and blue background. The dress is also a contrast to the green and blue dark backgrounds because the pink shows how this woman is the only pastel in the piece, aiding to the fact that she is a beautiful young woman. This allows her to easily and noticeably be the subject of the painting. Not only can the color of the dress give the viewer and idea of what the painter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard wanted the viewer to see, but also it shows, and seems to explain without words, the status of the women and how men in the society they are living intend to put women on a pedestal of being so beautiful. In this case, the artist could’ve been trying to show viewers that the swing could act as an elite pedestal for women of the time. Pink is a very posh and polished color, allowing the viewer to believe that this woman came from wealth, the crème de la crème of society. The overall clothing choices and the colors of the clothing choices reflect on what the artist wanted the viewer to draw from the painting, an elite woman who seems to rise above the rest. 

        Not only does the clothing choice in the painting effect how the viewer sees the story of the painting but also the body position of the people in the painting. For example, the man in the painting that is below the women has his arm stretched out as if he is reaching for her. The man’s eyes are rolled upwards towards her skirt as he looks up her skirt, this tells the viewer that he is in lust for the woman on the swing. The woman on the swing and the man below her (not the man in the shadows) seem to have a connection because they are closer together and seem to make eye contact, but we can still infer that the woman is of higher status because even though they seem to be looking at each other, she acts as she is above him in a social hierarchy. On the other hand, no one interacts with the man in the shadows, which shows that the woman is obviously attractive to more than one type of man. The man is also sitting in a pile of pink roses, “Pink roses can symbolize love, gratitude, and appreciation,” these feelings representing how he feels about the woman on the swing. It also closely relates to the woman’s dress which can allow viewers to guess that maybe that is the connection between the roses and the woman herself (Rose Color Meanings). The man behind the women on the swing is hidden in the shadows and is distant from the women and the man. The darkness that is cast on the man behind the women on the swing can symbolize mystery or depression. Maybe he is depressed because he is poor and doesn't have the elite carefree status that the woman possesses or he wants to be with the women and is jealous of the other man lusting after her. This can add to the effect of the story because it could be possible that the man in the shadows is in love with the women on the swing and she could be in love with the man below her. These bodily positions in the painting, The Swing, are important to understanding can have an effect on how the viewer interprets the painting. This could very well change over time, based upon what is happening in society around the time the painting can be seen or depicted. 

      By looking at the clothing choice and the position of the people in the painting, we can see that these factors can show an elite carefree status. The men in the painting can represent the mystery and uncertainty that occurs to everyone in everyday life. While the woman in pink may act as someone who is allowing their own troubles to drift away from them and seem to have a more careless approach on life . Paying no mind to the negative or rather mysterious distractions that lie below her. Understanding the positions and clothing choices of the people in the painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, helps us comprehend what we have learned in unit two. 
