William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Birth name: | William Adolphe Bouguereau. |
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Country of nationality: | France. |
Birth: | 1825, La Rochelle, France. |
Death: | 1905, La Rochelle. |
Style: | Academicism. |
William Adolphe Bouguereau was a French painter, a pioneer in the development of the neoclassical style and the application of academic standards in pictorial composition.
He was born into a Catholic, lower-middle-class family, dedicated to the small-scale trade of wine and oil. At 8 years old, his priest uncle Eugène instilled in him a love for nature and art, while he stood out at school as a draftsman. It was not until the age of 17 that he began to receive formal training in visual arts.
At some point in his transition to adulthood, Bouguereau developed a firm desire to dedicate himself to painting. Although he faced family opposition, he remained steadfast in his purpose and planned to establish himself in Paris, for which he painted and sold his first 33 paintings, while living with his family in Bordeaux.
In 1846 at the age of 20, he arrived in Paris and began a successful professional journey, which would establish him as one of the most appreciated and sought-after artists of his time, both in France and the United States.
The first event that greatly propelled his career was winning the Rome Prize, awarded by the French crown, which took him to reside in the Villa Medici, where he learned and connected with the leading European artists of the time. Thereafter, he was commissioned by the most prominent political and religious personalities of the time, the very Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned his most famous portrait.
Although he resided in Paris most of the time, he constantly returned to his hometown La Rochelle, where he died at the age of 79 due to heart failure.
Works of Bouguereau
Bouguereau's paintings mainly focus on Greek and Roman mythology, which he interpreted extensively with a hyperrealistic brushstroke and a significant tendency to describe human anatomy, especially female. Secondly, he was inspired by costumbrist scenes featuring children, always with a fantastical aura.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: L'Amour et Psyché, enfantsStyle: AcademicismGenre: Mythological paintingYear: 1890Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: Private collectionThis is one of the most famous works of the painter. The title "The First Kiss" has been mistakenly attributed to this work, which corresponds to a work from 1873.
The painting is currently part of a private collection and is not on public display.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauTitle (English): The PenitentStyle: AcademicismYear: 1876Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: Laing Art Gallery, EnglandIt shows the face of a beautiful young woman with a black veil, adorned in gold with a necklace and bracelet. The background is smooth: purple fading to orange. The focus in the composition is on the character's face and hands.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Jeune fille se défendant contre ÉrosTitle (English): A Young Girl Defending Herself Against ErosStyle: AcademicismGenre: Mythological paintingYear: 1880Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USAIt depicts a girl with a playful gesture towards the Greek god of love, represented as a small angel.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: La NuitStyle: AcademicismYear: 1883Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: Hillwood Museum and Gardens, USAThe canvas depicts one of the motifs most repeated in the artist's career, a woman, usually representing a mythological goddess, floating in the air with various elements, in this case, it deals with Nyx, the Greek deity of the night (see on Wikipedia). Another example of composition with the same style is the painting "The Dawn".
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: L'AuroreStyle: AcademicismYear: 1881Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: Birmingham Museum of Art, USA"The Dawn" (see on Wikipedia), is a goddess from Roman mythology, known for her appearances in classical literature. Cited from ancient times by literary figures such as: Homer, Virgil, and later Shakespeare himself.
This work full of movement shows a maiden suspended in the air touching the water with the tip of her foot, smelling a calla lily, and brandishing a fabric that in turn covers her body. The composition is round, the dynamics of the figure flows in all directions: head, arm, and legs from the center.
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Author: Elizabeth Jane Gardner, wife of W. A. BouguereauOriginal title: The Shepherd DavidStyle: AcademicismYear: 1895Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocation: National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, U.S.A.Oil on canvas titled "Shepherd David," created in 1895 by the artist Elizabeth Jane Gardner, wife of W. A. Bouguereau.
The American painter so closely mimicked her husband's style that their works are often mistaken for one another's.
Based on the biblical passage from the first book of Prophet Samuel, where the young King David proves his valor to the people by fighting Goliath and the most fabulous beasts, in this case, a lion.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: PastourelleTitle (English): The ShepherdessStyle: AcademicismYear: 1889Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated in: Philbrook Museum of Art, USAShows a girl working in the Alps, wearing typical attire of the period. The character is the absolute protagonist of the composition, full-bodied and centered on the canvas, displaying the most exquisite realistic brushstrokes of this genius.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Au bord du ruisseauTitle (English): At the Edge of the BrookStyle: AcademicismGenre: Genre paintingYear: 1875Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated in: Private collectionShows a girl with a flower headband and period clothing, sitting on a stone at the edge of a brook, in a rural setting.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: CâlinerieAlso known as: A Little PamperingTitle in English: A Little CoaxingStyle: AcademicismYear: 1890Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Private collectionIt shows two sisters, the younger one kissing the cheek of the older one, both barefoot and sitting at the entrance of a city house. Both seem to be posing especially for the artist.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Le Ravissement de PsychéTitle (English): The Abduction of PsycheAlso known as: The Kidnapping of PsycheStyle: AcademicismGenre: Mythological paintingYear: 1895Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Private collectionIt shows the angel Cupid carrying away Psyche, the Greek mythological goddess. More information about the work at Wikipedia.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: La bourriqueTitle (English): The Horseback RideStyle: AcademicismYear: 1884Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Berkshire Museum, USATwo girls playing outdoors in a rural setting, one of them sitting on the back of the other. Both in complicated postures, they were painted with exact body proportions. Also, the level of detail of faces, hands, and feet is utmost.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: La Sœur aînéeTitle (English): The Elder SisterStyle: AcademicismYear: 1869Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Museum of Fine Arts, HoustonShows a girl of approximately 8 years old, sitting at the edge of the road, with the medium-height horizon showing a vast valley, on a partly cloudy day. With her little sister sleeping in her arms, both dressed in typical French attire of the time.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Le crabeTitle (English): The CrabStyle: AcademicismYear: 1869Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Private collectionShows a small girl playing on the beach with a little black crab, in the background, the marine horizon and a boat with fishermen.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: L'Agneau Nouveau-NéStyle: AcademicismYear: 1873Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: Berkshire Museum, USAIt's a country scene where the young shepherdess, barefoot and in humble attire, holds in her arms the new lamb born in the flock.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Petite filleStyle: AcademicismYear: 1878Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasLocated at: National Museum of Western Art, TokyoDisplays the bust of a girl with her hands in a prayer position and a black background. As usual for the painter, the facial expression, chiaroscuro, colors, and details are magnificently achieved.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: GlaneuseStyle: AcademicismYear: 1894Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasIt is a half-body portrait of a young peasant girl from the 19th-century French countryside. On her back, a bundle of wheat ears. In the background, the crops and the mid-height horizon.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Le GuêpierStyle: AcademicismYear: 1892Type: PaintingTechnique: OilSupport: CanvasThe title has been translated in various ways, as it does not have a direct meaning outside of French, including "The Wasp's Nest" and "The Trap".
It is a mythological scene, where a maiden is approached by seven angels in the form of children.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: L'Amour et PsychéStyle: AcademicismGenre: Mythological paintingYear: 1899Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasThe characters are recurring in the artist, who was almost obsessed with them; these have been protagonists of Bouguereau's most famous works, the most notable having been painted 9 years ago: "Cupid and Psyche, children".
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Petite boudeuseStyle: AcademicismGenre: CostumbrismYear: 1888Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasA pair of sisters in a French countryside house, the little grumpy one looks away distracted while the other tries to get her attention by handing her a rag doll.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Jeune BergèreStyle: AcademicismYear: 1868Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasLocated at: Appleton Art Museum, USAThe canvas depicts a young girl with a staff, leaning against the wooden fences that protect her flock, in the background are sheep, a mountain, valley, and sea.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: JeunesseStyle: AcademicismYear: 1893Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasA maiden covering her ears from the propositions of a pair of cherubs, one of whom offers her a red rose, while the other looks on tenderly. The young woman's attire and the stone furniture are a fusion of the French aesthetic of the period and ancient Greece.
The current location of the work is unknown.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Chansons de printempsStyle: AcademicismYear: 1889Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasLocated in: Private handsDepicts a vision of a young woman in the forest, accompanied by a pair of angels whispering in her ear. This was created four years before the work "Youth", which offers a very similar composition, this time with the maiden covering her ears.
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Author: William-Adolphe BouguereauOriginal title: Pêche pour les grenouillesStyle: AcademicismYear: 1882Type: PaintingTechnique: OilMedium: CanvasLocated in: Luckett Collection, USATwo 19th-century French girls attempting to retrieve something from the swamp, using a small stick and line. Both display expressions of tedium, with little hope of succeeding, yet one extends an arm while the other looks on.
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