  About the Artwork
  
  
  In the mid-1760s, Jean-Honoré Fragonard — perhaps inspired by a trip to Holland — developed a deep affection for seventeenth-century Dutch landscapes dedicated to the slow, deliberate rhythms of rural life. This painting is one of several, similarly sized scenes that resulted from this interest. In the present composition, the motif of the gnarled tree prominently silhouetted against the luminous sky clearly nods to the art of Jacob van Ruisdael, one of the Dutch masters of the landscape genre. Fragonard imparted his own characteristic touch of humor with the addition of a gathering storm cloud that threatens to rain upon the peacefully grazing sheep and lounging peasants below.
  
  
  Title
  Landscape with Passing Shower
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1765 and 1775
  
  Artist
  Jean Honoré Fragonard
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1732-1806
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  French
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 15 × 18 inches (38.1 × 45.7 cm)
  Framed: 21 11/16 × 24 5/8 × 2 5/8 inches (55.1 × 62.5 × 6.7 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  48.215
  
  
  Copyright
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