Not all eighteenth-century painting was Rococo elegance. Two very different painters show other sides of the century: a Parisian who painted kitchens and children with quiet seriousness, and a Venetian who painted his city for tourists.
Looking closely: Chardin's Soap Bubbles
Describe. A young man leans on a stone window ledge and blows a bubble through a straw; a small child peeps over the ledge to watch. A glass of soapy water stands beside him, and a vine hangs above. Analyze. The colors are soft browns, grays and greens, and the light is gentle. The bubble, almost transparent, is the center of attention: everything in the picture, including the child's eyes, leads to it. Interpret. A bubble lasts a moment, so viewers of the time could read it as a reminder that life is brief, like the Dutch vanitas. It is also simply a moment of concentration, painted with great care.
Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699 to 1779) was admitted to the French Royal Academy in 1728 as a painter of still life, a low-ranked genre. He painted copper pots, fruit, servants at work and children playing, with soft, grainy paint. He made several versions of popular works like this one, for different buyers.
Key idea
Canaletto and the Grand Tour
Wealthy young Englishmen finished their education with the Grand Tour, a long journey through France and Italy to see ancient ruins and Renaissance art. They wanted souvenirs. Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto (1697 to 1768), sold them vedute, "views" of Venice, often through the British consul Joseph Smith. In The Square of Saint Mark's the basilica's domes and the Doge's Palace stand under a clear sky, every window and flagpole crisp, with tiny figures strolling across the paving.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Snapshot or composition?
- A camera, or one eye, sees from one place.
- If no single place shows both, the painter combined views.
- Canaletto composed the view for the picture.
Answer: He adjusted the view: it is a composed picture, not a snapshot.