William Adolf Bouguereau (30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter and traditionalist. His realist style of painting, with mythological themes, allowed the classical discipline to be modernized and emphasized the beauty of the female body.
He was given numerous official honors in France and the United States and was paid for thick work.
In the early twentieth century, Bouguereau and his art lost out with the public, in part due to changing tastes. In the 1980s, a revival of interest in figure painting led to the rediscovery of Bouguereau and his work.
Bouguereau was born in 1825 in la Rochelle, a small town on the Bay of Biscay, France. Bouguereau's father was a small businessman, first in the wine business and then in the olive oil business. Bouguereau studied painting for two years at the art school in Bordeaux.
In 1846, with 900 francs for the sale of 33 portraits, plus the fundraising of relatives, Bouguereau went to Francesco in Paris. Edward. Picott studied in the studio, and two months later, as the 99th out of 100 students, entered the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
In 1850, he was awarded the Grand Prix de Rome by the French National Scholarship for the Arts. Bouguereau traveled to Italy to study with a prize of 4,000 francs and a 600 franc from the city of La Rochelle. Along with other Roman Prize winners, living in the famous Villa Medici, Bouguero traveled to many italian cities, mimicking the work of ancient and Renaissance artists. He later taught at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure and the Beaux-Arts julian in Paris. In 1876 he was elected a member of the Académie française.
Bouguereau adhered to the aesthetic academic style throughout his life, fighting against the late impressionist painters who suppressed him, and his works were highly appreciated by the people of his time, and his works were also praised in modern times. Since his second wife was also his student, he was influenced by her at that time to help female painters hold exhibitions.
His famous quote was: "Sir! I often tell my students that one must seek beauty and truth, and one must make the work to the extreme. There is only one kind of painting, and that is the painting that brings unblemished beauty and perfection to the eyes of the people, as in the works of Veronese and Titian. ”
Although Bouguereau is an anti-historical figure in the art world, his works do give people a sense of beauty enjoyment, and sometimes in order to pursue perfection, he does not hesitate to tamper with reality. Therefore, his works are often based on ancient myths and displayed in a beauty that exceeds reality.
In Bouguereau's paintings, the images of women are very idyllic, with figures such as women, fairies, and country girls. Its environment is mostly rural jungle, peaceful and quiet.
