William Adolphe Bouguereau Caitlin Cambra “Mirabelle”

Dante and Virgil in Hell Origin Born on November 30, 1825 in La Rochelle, France. He was born into a family of wine merchants (later to include olive oil merchants). Was given a classical education by his uncle Eugène. Dante and Virgil in Hell 1850 AD

Young Life He showed talent in art at a young age but his family could not afford to put him in arts classes. His uncle Eugène. Used his position as a curate to create a job for William painting portraits of parishioners. He used the money he earned to travel to Paris and, after studying under Francois-Edouard Picot, he entered the Eçole des Beaux-Arts. A Childhood Idyll 1900 AD

The Prix de Rome and Villa Medici There was a contest at Eçole des Beaux-Arts called the Prix de Rome. The winning painting was housed in a collection with the other winners of the award. The winning artist got a four-year stay at the Villa Medici in Rome where one could study art of the Renaissance and Roman Empire. William entered the contest three times and never won first. On his third try, however, he managed to get second place. Due to vacant space at the Villa Medici, William was still able to go to Rome. Nymphs and Satyr 1873 AD

Career After returning to Paris, his paintings began to be displayed in the Salon. Most of his early paintings were based in religious and mythological history. Some of his nudes were considered salacious. He was a traditional realist. He used very detailed techniques to paint the human form with amazing precision. Later in his career, he painted more domestic and commercially appealing scenes. Biblis 1884 AD

Bouguereau and the Impressionists Young Shepherdess Standing 1887 AD In the late 19th century, impressionists were beginning to get a foothold in France. Working with Alexander Cabanel, William tried to keep impressionist paintings out of the Salon. The only caused the impressionists to form a more cohesive group. The impressionists say William as overly traditional and his work as looking artificial. Bouguereau is quoted as saying “…As for the impressionists, the pointillists, etc., I cannot discuss them. I do not see the way they see, or claim to see. That is the only reason for my negative opinion about them.

Family Life William was married twice in his life. He and his first wife had five children together. Unfortunately, she and four of the children all died fairly quickly, before William. He married again much later in life after his mother passed away, as she had opposed the second marriage. The Birth of Venus 1879 AD

Cupid and Psyche as Children “Fall” As impressionism rose, Bouguereau’s traditional realism fell out of public favor. He tried to create new paintings but they seemed as though they were made just to try and gain the public’s attention. For many years, he fell out of the public eye and into the shadows, his work being put away in the basements and storage rooms of museums. Cupid and Psyche as Children 1889 AD

Titles and Honors Bouguereau received almost every award possible during his career: Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (1857); Member of the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Amsterdam (1866); Member of the Institut de France, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (1876); President of the Société des Artistes Français (1881); President of the Association des Artistes founded by Baron Taylor (1883); Professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (1888); Member of the Academy Royale des Beaux-Arts of Anvers, Commandeur de l’Ordre d’Isabella Catholique (1889); Associated Member of the Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts of Belgium (1890). He was one of the last members of the academic tradition. Cupid and Psyche 1889 AD

To Conclude.. What made Bouguereau both famous and infamous was his execution and technique. His ability to draw skin, hands, and feet with such realistic detail was particularly admired. He was quick to gain popularity, became an excellent businessman in his own right, and had the unfortunate luck of coming into his own during the rise of impressionistic art in France. He died on August 19, 1905 in La Rochelle, France. Little Thieves 1872 AD

The Nymphaeum 1878 AD

Dawn 1881 AD Day 1884 AD Twilight 1882 AD Night 1883 AD

Quotes “Each day I go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because of darkness I can scarcely wait for the next morning to come if I cannot give myself to my dear painting I am miserable.” -- Bouguereau “When will the day come when I can do something worthy of a grown man?  How many things must I yet learn before reaching that stage!” -- Bouguereau, May 13, 1848 “One has to seek Beauty and Truth, Sir! As I always say to my pupils, you have to work to the finish. There's only one kind of painting. It is the painting that presents the eye with perfection, the kind of beautiful and impeccable enamel you find in Veronese and Titian.”  --William Bouguereau, 1895 The Horseback Ride 1884 AD

Bibliography Glueck, Grace. “To Bouguereau, Art Was Strictly ‘The Beautiful’” The New Your Times 06 Jan. 1985. 24 Nov. 2011. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406e4d81F38F935A35752C0A963948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1>. Roth, Mark. “Gifted Artist? Bougereau’s Work Controversial More Than a Century After His Death.” Post-Gazette.com. 20 Aug. 2007. 22 Nov. 2011. <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07233/810841-42.stm.>. Wissman, Fronia E. Bouguereau. San Francisco: Pomegranate Art, 1996. “Bouguereau Biography.” Bouguereau – The Complete Works. Web. 23 Nov. 2011. <http://www.bouguereau.org/biography.html>.