Soap Bubbles by Jean Siméon Chardin

Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.

Soap Bubbles

Jean Siméon Chardin · ca. 1733–34

Artist
Jean Siméon Chardin French, Paris 1699–1779 Paris
Date
ca. 1733–34
Medium
Oil on canvas
Size
24 x 24 7/8 in. (61 x 63.2 cm)
Where to see it
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wentworth Fund, 1949 · CC0 Public Domain · The Met · see it at the museum ↗

Slow Look

  1. The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
  2. The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
  3. The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
  4. One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
  5. The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Jean Siméon Chardin

Jean Siméon Chardin 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.

Painter profile →

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