Bouguereau: 135 Masterpieces

William Adolphe Bouguereau was a follower of classical art and had no wish for everything like novelty or the avant-garde. His sense of idealism was his guiding principle, regarding the ugly as worthless for representation. He populated his lush fantasy world with an idealized array of mythological figures, angels, women and children. A consummate craftsman and master of human anatomy, he utilized a delicate palette and glorious light to sensitively capture nuances of personality and mood, vibrantly bringing the soul and spirit of his subjects to life.

Bouguereau remained a hard supporter of the academic training system at a time when it was criticized for stifling originality and nurturing mediocrity. This hostility was further heightened by the perceived association of academic painting with the bourgeois values that had resulted in world war. However, recent more objective assessments have reinstated Bouguereau as an important 19th-century painter.