Jeanne listens passively to the man in front of her while a young neighborhood girl in her everyday dress gazes up at the interaction.

According to the fashion historian Birgit Haase, the dress appears to be made of white muslin, and its contours suggest that the woman is wearing a cuirass corset.

This palette departed from the stark light-dark contrast of earlier styles, instead favouring small brushstrokes that separated colours, placing emphasis on air, light, and movement.

[5]: 190 In The Swing, Renoir’s loose, short brushstrokes create the effect of sunlight filtering through leaves, capturing a sense of warmth and movement.

This technique directs the viewer’s attention to the play of light and shadow, emphasizing the lively, atmospheric quality of the scene rather than precise forms.

[6] The idyllic park landscape, leisurely and flirtatious scene, soft colour palette, and wistful atmosphere in The Swing are all reminiscent of earlier fêtes galantes by artists like Antoine Watteau.

Renoir’s friend Georges Rivière explicitly commented on the similarities between The Swing and Watteau’s works on the occasion of the third Impressionist exhibition.

Eugène Fromentin had condemned earlier French genre painters such as Greuze for emphasizing a clear subject with a moral message.

According to the art historian John House, Renoir protected his work from possible suppression by avoiding clear narratives in favour of ambiguity.

[3] The painting, together with Renoir's 1876 Bal du moulin de la Galette, was presented at the third Impressionist group exhibition in 1877.

Some praised its idyllic charm, with Georges Rivière contrasting the peaceful scene with the chaotic Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.

He praised Renoir’s serene depiction of young people enjoying life in a sunlit garden, removed from the concerns of the world.