Renoir gives us the impression of surprising a conversation - as if in a snapshot, he catches the glances turned towards the man seen from the back.
The young woman is looking away as if she were embarrassed.
The foursome in the foreground is balanced by the group of five figures sketchily brushed in the background.
The Swing has many points in common with The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette.
The two pictures were painted in parallel in the summer of 1876.