Two Girls Blowing Bubbles c. 1880

Curator: Welcome. We are standing before "Two Girls Blowing Bubbles," a watercolor and gouache drawing by Jacob Maris, circa 1880, here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has this fleeting, dreamlike quality...the muted tones and soft edges feel so delicate and fragile, like the bubbles themselves. There’s a distinct lack of clarity which contributes to the image's sense of nostalgia, or melancholy. Curator: The composition is quite deliberate, isn't it? The verticality of the standing girl and the backdrop sharply contrasts with the seated figure and the horizontal plane of the floor. This division of space lends itself to the symbolism inherent to the painting. Editor: Yes, absolutely. Bubbles, in art and literature, often represent the transience of life, the ephemeral nature of joy, vanitas. But here, it’s amplified by the girls’ activity. One creates this temporary sphere of beauty, while the other seems to observe, perhaps reflecting on the fleeting nature of this experience. Even the positioning of the girls; youth versus childhood, and the transition from doing to considering is further explored by Maris' structural composition of verticality versus horizontality. Curator: And the rendering contributes heavily to this, I would agree. Maris is using the watercolor to create a very translucent effect, while in other sections you see the very opaque gouache blocking light, thus giving us both atmospheric fogs and precise geometry in one painting. Editor: Looking at the imagery; it evokes sentiments of childhood innocence but also something of a lament. Bubbles, dreams, beauty...they all burst, eventually. What do you feel that Jacob Maris tries to evoke with his artistic choice? The wispy texture makes it all so immediate, yet equally far removed in time. The way that all the symbolism clashes in a sort of harmonic experience. Curator: I believe Maris attempts to strike at that exact balance that you observed so perceptively. It seems to me that, although watercolor as a medium carries inherent fragility, it serves as a structure from which other artistic avenues can be used to portray greater concepts than watercolor is typically used for. Editor: A rather unique piece indeed; Jacob Maris creates almost this philosophical intersection in "Two Girls Blowing Bubbles." The work serves as a reminder to appreciate the moments that we get. Curator: Agreed. Jacob Maris captures that tension beautifully—between holding onto something fleeting and appreciating its ephemeral nature. A delicate balance that elevates it beyond a simple genre scene.