Bouguereau, WILLIAM ADOLPHE

Bouguereau, WILLIAM ADOLPHE, born at La Rochelle, 30th November 1825. While engaged in business at Bordeaux he was instructed in art; and proceeding to Paris, he worked under Picot, and in the École des Beaux Art, where in 1850 he gained the Grand Prix de Rome, which entitled him to study in Italy, whence he returned in 1855. In 1849 he produced his dignified and austere 'Angel of Death,' but he first made a distinct mark in 1854 by 'The Body of St Cecilia borne to the Catacombs,' which, along with his 'Philomela and Procne' (1861), is now in the Luxembourg, and his 'Maria Consolatrix' (1877) was also a government commission. Among his other works may be named 'The Bather' and 'Vow of St Anne' (1870); 'Harvest-time' and 'The Mower' (1872); 'Nymphs and Satyrs' (1873); 'Homer and his Guide' (1874); 'Holy Family' (1875); 'Youth and Love' (1877); 'Triumph of Venus' (1879); and 'Alma Parens' (1883). His productions are distinguished by a kind of cultured academic grace, finished and balanced design, and careful execution with a smooth surface. He is seen at his best in classical subjects, and in softly idealised scenes from rural life. Occasionally he has painted portraits; and among his decorative works are subjects in the Hôtel Péreire, Paris, a ceiling in the theatre, Bordeaux, and paintings in the churches of St Clotilde and St Augustin, Paris.