Soap Bubbles

A young man leans out over a stone window ledge, blowing a bubble through a straw. The bubble is already large, and it is just about to go. Behind the ledge a small child stands on tiptoe to watch. Beside him is a glass of soapy water. Chardin was a painter of quiet, everyday things: kitchen pots, a game of cards, children at play. He painted them slowly, with a soft, granular texture that makes the light feel like dust in the air. For people of his time a bubble was a familiar image of how brief life is. But the painting doesn’t preach. It only asks us to hold our breath with the boy.

Look closely

1. Look at the bubble. How does Chardin make something so thin and clear look real?
2. Look at the child behind the ledge. How much of him can you see?
3. Look at the young man’s face. How carefully is he breathing?

While you sit

A bubble that never pops. You can hold your breath, or let it out slowly.

Your seat in the galleries: a worn sandstone ledge with a folded linen cloth, like a window sill.