Diana was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon. When Diana first saw the young shepherd Endymion sleeping in the shelter of a cave, she instantly fell in love with him. Quiet as moonlight she entered the cave and gently kissed his closed eyes. Diana’s first kiss was a form of death-in-life. She selfishly cast him into an immortal sleep so that she might adore him forever.

Ancient poets said that somewhere, high in the mountains of Greece, Endymion still sleeps in a hidden cave. On nights of the new moon—when the moon is hidden from view—Diana has left the sky to be at Endymion’s side.

As a young man, Fragonard was fired from his job with a Parisian notary because he used his pen more often for drawing than for doing the firm’s business. So he turned to art. Fragonard loved to paint light-hearted subjects: young people enjoying games and romance in gardens, girls on swings, and pairs of mythological lovers.

Discussion Questions:

• What moment of the story of Diana and Endymion has Fragonard chosen to depict? How does he express surprise and delight in Diana’s gesture upon seeing Endymion? Why might the artist have painted this moment?
• Diana and Endymion is a story that takes place at night. How did Fragonard depict night? If you were a painter, how might you paint it differently?
• What natural phenomenon is explained in this painting? (Why a new moon exists.) When you look in the sky at the time of the new moon and have difficulty finding it, what can you say about where Diana is?
• What is the cresent moon or new moon a symbol of? (The goddess Diana.)
• Diana fell very much in love with Endymion. What do you think about her decision to cast him into an immortal sleep so that he would never grow old or awaken, so she could love him forever? Would you have made the same choice as Diana? If not, how would you have handled the situation?