Two vigorously drawn umbrella trees dominate the foreground and, with the staircase at the right, help to frame the gate in the center of the composition. Statues on pedestals echo the verticality of the posts and form the perspective that leads to the gate. The successful synthesis of rationally organized space with an immediate and energetic response to nature reveals Fragonard’s mastery of landscape.

from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)