Ceiling Study c. 1728 - 1730

Curator: François Boucher's "Ceiling Study," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, is a whirlwind of red chalk, isn't it? It just makes me want to float away on a cloud. Editor: The composition is certainly dynamic. The arrangement of figures, seemingly weightless, does suggest a sense of ascension, or perhaps suspension. Curator: Exactly! The textures created with just that sanguine chalk—it feels so alive, so provisional, like catching a dream before it fades. I feel like Boucher is playing with us. Is it heaven, or just some rococo fantasy? Editor: Well, the strategic use of line and shadow defines the forms, imbuing them with a robust yet ethereal quality. He models the figures as if they are both present and dissolving into the background. Note the almost classical contrapposto in several of the figures too. Curator: Precisely! So, the study blends classical ideals with a uniquely light touch. Editor: Precisely. Curator: This ceiling study reveals the artist's skill in capturing the ideal of beauty through the harmony of figures and form. It's quite marvelous to see the foundations of a ceiling painting in a fleeting sketch. Editor: It seems like we are both seeing the same image yet feeling completely different affects from it. Art really is a window to the soul, isn't it?