Artwork
The Boy with Soap Bubbles (L'enfant aux bulles de savon)
The Boy with Soap Bubbles (L'enfant aux bulles de savon) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Édouard Manet. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Boy with Soap Bubbles (L'enfant aux bulles de savon) is a print by Edouard Manet, produced in 1868 using etching and aquatint techniques on green paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a youthful figure in a loose, collarless shirt, engaged in a quotidian activity: blowing a soap bubble from a bowl held in one hand. The boy's partial profile and the sparse, dark background (suggesting a table or ledge) focus attention on the subject's quiet, introspective moment.
Technique & Style
Manet combined etching (for fine, scratchy lines) with aquatint (for soft, textured tones) to achieve a tactile, handmade quality. This approach imparted a near three-dimensional appearance to the boy's attire and the translucent soap bubble, highlighting the expressive potential of these printmaking methods.
History & Provenance
Created in 1868, specific details regarding the print's early ownership and exhibition history are not provided in the available information.
Context
Within Manet's oeuvre, this work reflects his exploration of everyday life and the technical possibilities of printmaking, characteristic of his period's artistic innovations.
Legacy
The Boy with Soap Bubbles contributes to the broader recognition of Manet's contributions to printmaking and his ability to evoke depth and intimacy through minimalist compositions.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
