Critical analysis of "The Reader" by Fragonard

The Reader, commonly referred to as A Young Girl Reading is an oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Completed in 1776, this "Fragonard favorite" is currently on display at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. On the surface, the painting seems to be a basic image of a girl with a book but in reality, it is nothing of the sort. In fact, The Reader provides its audience with a very important "snap shot" …

…like the society he painted as they were always on the move for the next diversion and the next entertainments. Such a pleasant rush of success could only sustain itself for so long and in the summer of 1806, at the age of 74, Fragonard died of a stroke while eating ice cream (www.artcyclopedia.com). Luxury made him, his joy in it and his skill at portraying it, and in the end, luxury killed him too.