William Bouguereau Essay, Research Paper

Bouguereau

William Bouguereau belongs to an important minority of artists who worked outside the mainstream naturalism of the second half of the 19th century. He was nicknamed Sisyphus by his friends at the Art Academy who did not think he would go far. The support of important art dealers and a change of themes helped alter the course of his career in the 1860’s. His most productive years were 1870-1890. Bouguereau was likely more appreciated by his public than by other artists and critics.

Bouguereau painted subjects admired by realists, yet he was more of an idealist. His subjects may have been realistic, however Bouguereau always painted them idealistically, in the classical manner. He sought to paint the beautiful and eternal, as in “The Bathers.” Bouguereau stated that “there is only one kind of painting… It’s the painting that presents the eye to perfection.” This theory seemed to work because through out his lifetime Bouguereau received great acclaim and wealth. He was very appreciated by his public, especially in America where owning a Bouguereau was a necessity for a complete collection.

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