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 ouguereau acquired the beginnings of his art from Picot, and Picot was a follower of the school of David; but an art descent of this character explains but little. Indifferent as we may be to-day to the methods of David, which were reflections of the Napoleonic era, we are still conscious that his conceptions were lofty. His Romans may be tender-skinned, looking as if they had come from the bath, for David's study of the antique had rather led him toward Roman than Greek art, nevertheless in the pose of his figures, in their action, and in the climax of his pictures his aspirations were toward the heroic. He was a painter who, first heated with republican ardor, had had his fires tempered. Possibly Picot
took from David those larger conceptions of art which flourished in France toward the close of the last and the beginning of this century. In the beginning of his career Picot painted Cupids or Psyches; later, a meeting of Æneas and Venus, a Raphael and the Fornarina, but with advancing age chose graver topics. The present illustrious school of French art owes much to Picot, because having in more ways than one followed the traditions of their old master.
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William Adolphe Bouguereau was born at Rochelle, France, in 1825. Today this artist bears his sixty-four years with ease, and is as active, as industrious, as in his younger life. Incessant work, long study, have given him wonderful rapidity of touch. Looking at one of Bouguereau’s pictures, it is the careful finish which excites attention, and those ignorant of his certainty of effects and technical dexterity might imagine that his work only resulted from careful elaboration.
As a pupil of Picot’s, Bouguereau won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1850. Going to Italy, he was the most diligent of students. During his stay in Rome he sent to Paris the pictures which are obligatory on the part of an artist who is a state beneficiary. The first work which showed the talent of the artist was the decoration of the foyer of the theatre in Bordeaux. There was such originality, power, and personality in this decoration that it at once made Bouguereau conspicuous. His progress afterward was rapid. He soon secured the first, second, and third medals for artistic merit, and in 1859 received the order of the Legion of Honor. In 1876 he became a member of the Institute, and this is the highest honor France can pay an artist.
M. Bouguereau's works are well known in the United States, for we were among the first outside of France to appreciate his singular merit. Among many of his pictures found in the United States, The Mother's Treasure, The Mother and Child, Hesitation between Love and Riches, Virgin and Angels, Far from Home, La Tricoteuse, Maternal Solicitude, Nymphs and Satyr, Homer and his Guide, The Guardian Angel, may be cited.
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Perhaps a somewhat narrow-minded idea has been entertained by those who only know Bouguereau from his Nymphs and Satyr, criticism being directed, not as to the quality of the work itself, but the choice of the subject. Magnificent in drawing, notable for its vivacity of action, resplendent in color, it is a masterpiece. It only shows how great is the scope of the painter. If in delicacy of conception there is no modern work of art which can surpass Bouguereau's Charity, or in tenderness equal his Virgin and Angels, in his Nymphs and Satyr he shows how thoroughly he can enter into the character of any special work. It is nevertheless true that it will not be upon the Dryads or Fauns that M. Bouguereau's fame in the future will rest, but upon his other works, those which excite human sympathies. He stands as the embodiment of that solid, thoughtful school of French art which protests against the firework flashes of the impressionists.
In portraiture M. Bouguereau shows the utmost distinction. Whether the palm of portrait-painting belongs to him or to Bonnat will always be disputed. Bouguereau seems to carry the finish of his portraits further than does his rival, seeking subtler expressions than does Bonnat.
Occupying one of the most important positions
in France, having in large measure influenced the art of the last quarter of a century, the portrait
of the artist, painted by himself and engraved by Baude, helps to a better understanding of the man.
- Harper's Weekly, May 18, 1889, p. 386.
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