Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
Boy Blowing Soap Bubbles. Allegory on the Brevity of Life
View through National Gallery of Denmark
The boy has just lowered his pipe and looks with satisfaction at the bubbles he has sent flying. One hand holds the soap dish, a scallop shell which still holds a few trembling bubbles. The boy is balanced on a giant soap bubble, surfing the waves on an equally giant shell. This vessel constitutes a surreal element within what is otherwise a realistic depiction, proclaiming the motif to be an allegory.
The motif is a "memento mori", a reminder of the transience of happiness and the brevity of human life. The work combines two well-known tropes from the 17th century: Fortuna, the goddess of good fortune, rolling on the waves on a ball, and the "Homo Bulla (est)" ("Man is a bubble") concept, which is often portrayed as a child blowing soap bubbles.
Title: Boy Blowing Soap Bubbles. Allegory on the Brevity of Life
Description:
The boy has just lowered his pipe and looks with satisfaction at the bubbles he has sent flying.
One hand holds the soap dish, a scallop shell which still holds a few trembling bubbles.
The boy is balanced on a giant soap bubble, surfing the waves on an equally giant shell.
This vessel constitutes a surreal element within what is otherwise a realistic depiction, proclaiming the motif to be an allegory.
The motif is a "memento mori", a reminder of the transience of happiness and the brevity of human life.
The work combines two well-known tropes from the 17th century: Fortuna, the goddess of good fortune, rolling on the waves on a ball, and the "Homo Bulla (est)" ("Man is a bubble") concept, which is often portrayed as a child blowing soap bubbles.
Related Results
Karl Heinz Richter, “Soap Memory”, Abstract, Contemporary Art, Mixed Media, Experimental Art, Process Art, Organic Forms, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Texture, Fragility, Ephemeral, Memory, Meditation, Intuitive Art, Pigment, Works on Paper, Cardboard, So
Karl Heinz Richter, “Soap Memory”, Abstract, Contemporary Art, Mixed Media, Experimental Art, Process Art, Organic Forms, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Texture, Fragility, Ephemeral, Memory, Meditation, Intuitive Art, Pigment, Works on Paper, Cardboard, So
Soap bubbles with pigment, painting on cardboard, 39 × 22 cm...
Karl Heinz Richter, “Soap Memory”, Abstract, Contemporary Art, Mixed Media, Experimental Art, Process Art, Organic Forms, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Texture, Fragility, Ephemeral, Memory, Meditation, Intuitive Art, Pigment, Works on Paper, Cardboard, So
Karl Heinz Richter, “Soap Memory”, Abstract, Contemporary Art, Mixed Media, Experimental Art, Process Art, Organic Forms, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Texture, Fragility, Ephemeral, Memory, Meditation, Intuitive Art, Pigment, Works on Paper, Cardboard, So
Soap bubbles with pigment, painting on cardboard, 30 × 24 cm...
Porträt Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788)
Porträt Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788)
Portrait of Charles Edward Stuart. The presenter of the throne, born in Rome, is shown here as a chest, as a young man with a friendly view. He wears a long, curly wig and a part o...
Allegory on the Brevity of Life
Allegory on the Brevity of Life
A young couple, virtually naked, sit in a natural setting, almost like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Absorbed by vanity, they are lost in contemplating their own reflection i...
Boy in a Turban holding a Nosegay
Boy in a Turban holding a Nosegay
In addition to painting scenes of street life with picturesque characters inspired by his years in Rome, Sweerts also produced a few portraits as well as a series of half-length an...
For a boy: black leather with nailed sole and heel; Utility scheme; John White's brand made in England 1940-9. One of a pair of boy's shoes, made of black leather with a nailed leather sole and nailed heel of rubber compound. The shoe is lined with leath
For a boy: black leather with nailed sole and heel; Utility scheme; John White's brand made in England 1940-9. One of a pair of boy's shoes, made of black leather with a nailed leather sole and nailed heel of rubber compound. The shoe is lined with leath
For a boy: black leather with nailed sole and heel; Utility scheme; John White's brand made in England 1940-9. One of a pair of boy's shoes, made of black leather with a nailed lea...