Figure 1.-- Bouguereau was widely regarded by contemporaries as one of the great French artists. Breton genre scenes are well represented in his body of work. A good example is the painting here on the Metropolitan collection (New York). Bouguereau painred this work in 1871. It is entitled "Frère et Soeur Bretons" (Breton Brother and Sister). The young boy is wearing a dress as his elder sister. Notice the destinctive headwear. As was common at the time, the children are barefoot.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in La Rochelle in 1825. We do not know anything about his childhood at this time. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was awarded the Prix de Rome (1850). He is noted for very realistic genre paintings and mythological themes. He was a fixture at the annual exhibitions of the Paris Salon. Bouguereau was widely regarded by contemporaries as one of the great French artists. Breton genre scenes are well represented in his body of work. A good example is the painting here on the Metropolitan collection (New York). Bouguereau painred this work in 1871. It is entitled "Frère et Soeur Bretons" (Breton Brother and Sister). The young boy is wearing a dress as his elder sister. Notice the destinctive headwear. As was common at the time, the children are barefoot. As realistic art went out of favor his work declined in popularity. This was increasingly the case after the turn of the 20h century, He criticized the Impressionists his entire life. Perhaps because the impressionists became so widely regarded, Bouguereau and other realistic artists began to be shunned by the art establishment. Of course the rise of photography was another factor. Realistic art was not considered chic by art expers. It is more difficult to assess popular attitudes and why tastes change. For years art historians listing great French artists would not even mention Bouguereau, rther strange given his prominance during the 19th century. The art world in recent years has begun to reappraise his work. A large number of major art museums have his works in their collection. He was amazingly prolific, prouducing an almost unbelievable 826 paintings. Bouguereau died in birth city during 1905.

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Created: 6:04 PM 8/28/2007
Last updated: 6:04 PM 8/28/2007