This painting depicts the frivolities of life led by the aristocracy. The lady enjoys a care free swing whilst the men in the shadows are waiting to assist her. This compares brilliantly to the life Marie Antoinette led in Versailles. She was extravagent and completely ignorant of the problems this was causing for the lower classes in France.
Also, the hat worn by the lady in this painting is a Bergère hat (a sheperdess hat). This is ironic because a sheperdess is usually associated with the idea of leading a humble life, being so close to nature. In the same way, Marie Antoinette sometimes dressed as a peasant woman whilst relaxing in the Le Petit Trianon and fed her animals, playing the commoner, but through ostentatious means, for example using an expensive china pouring jug. This mockery of the lower classes is really interesting and I would like to take this further. I might draw Marie Antoinette surounded by her corrupt luxuries and find a way to comment on it.
Le Petit Trianon:
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