Fragonard’s Bucolic Flirtation with a Fainting Couch, 2016

Overwhelmed by the material decadence of her world, the couch picked herself up and walked outside to enjoy the company of sheep in a simpler, more pastoral, setting. She retains some structure from the Baroque cathedral she could see from the window and imitated its stonework in her petticoat. In a time when a single piece of furniture had to go to multiple specialized craftsmen for completion, the couch is a clear example of the indulgent style that she seems so desperate to escape. May her clawed feet find sheep and perhaps a happy flirtation to occupy her.