Proflie of the Masters: Bouguereau

The French realist painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau was known in his time as a master of legendary artistic achievement.
Proflie of the Masters: Bouguereau
Michael Wing
12/13/2009
Updated:
1/26/2017
William Bouguereau, Regina Angelorum. 1900. oil on canvas. Musee du Petit Palais, Paris. (Art Renewal Centre)
William Bouguereau, Regina Angelorum. 1900. oil on canvas. Musee du Petit Palais, Paris. (Art Renewal Centre)

The French realist painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) was known in his time as a master of legendary artistic achievement. Yet with the rise of the Modernist movement, his accomplishments were denigrated, and denounced, and his name banished from art history. Only in the last few decades, after the collapse of the Modernist movement, has Bouguereau reappeared on the field of our historical consciousness albeit on the sidelines. With Modernist assumptions a thing of the past, Bouguereau has gained more acknowledgment today, yet very likely, there are still more opportunities to learn from this once legendary artist.

When one first looks at a painting by Bouguereau, one immediately sees a stunning realism, described by some as photo-realistic (photography certainly had an influence on artists in his time); one also sees flawless technique, a lifetime of obsessive preoccupation with perfecting the smallest details, without regard for leaving any visible mark of the artist’s hand. In his work one also sees an idealized world filled with youthfulness, sentimentality (sometimes sensual), goodness, divinity, and beauty. Looking at a Bouguereau painting, one can see all of the reasons why his work was once banned from art history, and nonetheless see its timeless qualities.

Perhaps from his work, one can grasp how it is that a lifetime of artwork can be so thoroughly trampled on and destroyed, and then come back to life. Perhaps there is some importance in his work to be discovered.

Bouguereau’s career was one of constant success in terms of his social, financial, and artistic achievements; yet at the same time his life endured a series of continuous tragedies that took their toll on the artist’s health and his spirit, leading to his eventual death. Perhaps it is true what they say: without loss, one cannot gain.

On Nov. 30, 1825, William was born the son of Theodore Bouguereau, an unprosperous seller of wine and olive oil, in La Rochelle France. Relations were strained in the Bouguereau family due to business problems, and Bouguereau was eventually sent to live with his uncle Eugene in Mortagne. This turned out to be a blessing for young William, since his uncle, unlike his father, encouraged him to embrace culture and art. Bouguereau received his first art classes during his stay in Mortagne.

After moving to Bordeaux with his family to help in the family business, Bouguereau eventually persuaded his father to let him attend The School of the Beaux Arts in Paris after having won first prize in a local painting competition. With his uncle’s help, William obtained a commission which would help fund his studies.

William Bouguereau, The Bunch of Grapes. 1868. oil on cancas. Private collection. ( Art Renewal Centre )
William Bouguereau, The Bunch of Grapes. 1868. oil on cancas. Private collection. ( Art Renewal Centre )

Bouguereau began his studies in 1846, working in the studio of Francois Picot, and was frequently ranked at the top of his class. On his third attempt, the artist eventually won the prestigious Prix de Rome for his painting titled, Zenobia Found by the Sheppards on the Banks of the Araxes. He was awarded an expenses paid year of study at the Villa Medici, located in that Mecca of classical art and culture: Rome.

It was in Italy that Bouguereau perused the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Titian, and Raphael among others. Above all others, Bouguereau considered Raphael to be the ideal classicist in the art of painting. Bouguereau produced a master copy of Raphael’s The Triumph of Galatea as one of the works he was assigned to send back to the academy in Paris.

Bouguereau had become more well-known by the time he settled down in Paris in 1854. In 1856, he married Marie-Nelly Monchablon, and the next year his first daughter (the first of five children) Henriette was born. That same year, Bouguereau won the Medal of Honour for his painting, The Return of Tobias, displayed at the Salon of 1857. The Salons, which were expositions of cultural works often drawing more than 300,000 visitors, were pivotal in accelerating Bouguereau’s fame throughout Paris, gaining him steady commissions, and a decent income. His first son Georges was born in 1859, and in 1861, his second daughter Jeanne was born on Christmas day.

Bouguereau’s professional life continued to prosper the next few years, however tragedy struck in the year 1866, when his youngest daughter Jeanne passed away. The following years were to bear still more grief, yet Bouguereau’s career continued to flourish. During the period of the Franco-Prussian War (after the birth of his second son Paul) when the artist temporarily joined the National Guard, and as he later waited out the Paris Commune in La Rochelle; he continued painting, and masterpieces were produced one after another.

However, his son Georges died of illness in 1875, and in 1877, the artist’s wife passed away after giving birth to their third child Maurice, who was also to die at seven months of age. His bereavement inspired such religious works as The Pieta. During this time, the artist was elected to the highest position at the Academy de Beaux Arts.

In 1879, William remarried, this time to one of his students (he also taught painting), Elizabeth Gardner, who was twelve years his junior. By now he had produced such masterpieces as: Nymphs and Satyr, Charity, and Homer and his Guide. His daughter Henriette also married around that time, much to the artist’s contentment. However, his remaining son Paul, now a lawyer, fell ill, and died in 1900. This was to be the most grievous blow to the artist’s soul, and his health began to deteriorate rapidly. William Bouguereau died in his home town of La Rochelle in 1905.

Although Bouguereau was considered one of the greatest classical painters in history, and was even compared by some to Raphael, there were others who criticized him. In particular, the Impressionists sought to overthrow the traditional schools of painting. Eventually they succeeded. This eventually brought about the Modernist movement, and drastically altered assumptions about art, and art history.

From this perspective Bouguereau’s work was considered regressive. Traditional principles and practices were regarded as shackles that obstructed the expression of art. Bouguereau’s perfection was viewed as concealing the real art, and the hand of the artist and the classical idealism of his work was regarded by some as a meaningless throwback. But is his art as worthless as some have said? Although his work is accused of being sentimental, perhaps even sappy, it also filled with beauty, kindness, and devotion. Perhaps these qualities are worth reevaluating.

Michael Wing is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada, where he was born and educated in the arts. He writes mainly on culture, human interest, and trending news.
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