Putto bellenblazend 1708 - 1762

Editor: Here we have "Putto bellenblazend," or Putto Blowing Bubbles, a pen and ink drawing by Paul Troger, created sometime between 1708 and 1762. The style seems very Baroque. It's a little melancholy, maybe because the monochrome and detailed linework make it feel quite serious. What do you see in it? Curator: Oh, I find this little fellow rather endearing, actually! Blowing bubbles…it’s such an ephemeral act, isn’t it? Like youth itself, fleeting and iridescent. The allegory here, and this reminds me of earlier Dutch vanitas paintings, speaks to the transience of life and earthly pleasures. A gentle memento mori. See how carefully Troger captures the light on the drapery, too, it lends the scene a touch of the dramatic. Tell me, what does the presence of a putto – this chubby cherub – suggest to you in this context? Editor: I guess it emphasizes innocence and youth as being just as fleeting as bubbles. The way he's so absorbed really brings that point across. I hadn’t connected it to vanitas paintings before, but that makes total sense now. Curator: Exactly! There’s a vulnerability there. That said, there's a playful quality as well – the sheer delight of creation. Baroque art often embraces such complex and, at times, contradictory emotions. Editor: So it’s not just about death and decay? It also hints at the beauty and joy of… bubbles? Curator: Precisely. The Baroque sensibility delights in these contrasting ideas, wouldn't you agree? Think of the lavish ornamentation juxtaposed with sombre themes we often see. This drawing offers that same delicious tension on a smaller, more intimate scale. It's got me wondering about childhood and how fleeting joy always is. Editor: I’m glad we took a moment to reflect on such a fragile work.