Soap bubbles by Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin - The MET 150

Come look! Wow! Look at the huge bubble this boy is blowing! He's concentrating on the delicate form while blowing air through the straw, slowly and gently. He has to be careful not to make any sudden movements. He steadies himself by leaning over a windowsill, holding on to its stone ledge, and resting his right wrist on his left hand. The soap bubble shimmers with white and blue reflections of sunlight. What do you think will happen to it next? This is a painting by Jean-Simeon Chardin from around 1733-1734. We see a young boy blowing soap bubbles while another young boy looks at his activity. Chardin often painted children playing idle games. We don't know for sure whether Chardin wanted to convey a certain message with this painting. In general, blowing bubbles was considered a reference to the transience of life. Life is like a bubble, so to speak. Chardin often made several versions of his compositions. Here we see, for example, the version in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In this version he zooms out a little, and he shows us more of the window around the boys. Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin was born on November 2, 1699, died December 6, 1779. He was an 18th century French painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities. Carefully balanced composition, soft diffusion of light, and granular impasto characterize his work.