Breakfast 1739

Francois Boucher created 'Breakfast' using oil on canvas, a technique mastered by the French court. Note how the materials and processes are not simply a means to an end, but rather integral to the painting’s meaning. Boucher’s light brushwork and mastery of color gives us an insight into the leisure of the 18th-century upper class, depicting a scene of comfortable domesticity. Yet, this emphasis on leisure and refined taste is intertwined with broader issues of labor and economics. Think of the labor that went into procuring the expensive goods seen in the painting, from the porcelain to the fine clothing. The smooth finish of the painting itself obscures the physical work involved, contrasting with the lives of those who produced these objects. Ultimately, by examining Boucher's materials and techniques, we gain a deeper understanding of the social and economic context in which this work was created.