William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter who lived from 1825 to 1905. As a child, Bouguereau’s uncle taught him classical and religious subjects which influenced his early art. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts, where he took up academic painting, which placed a large emphasis on Renaissance, historical, and mythological art. His own work was a modern representation of classical and mythological subjects.
In the 1850s, Bouguereau had become extremely successful, admired by both critics and the public alike. He had a talent for retaining the likeness of the sitter while beautifying and idealizing them. As such, he was a popular painter. His paintings were a modern representation of classical and mythological subjects, making his figures seem timeless.
Bouguereau exhibited works at the annual Salon in Paris for his entire working career and was very successful. In fact, there was a period of time when he was the most famous living French artist. Bouguereau was greatly admired by the academy, particularly for his mastery of depicting skin tones. He was simultaneously loved by the academic art world and hated by the avant-garde art crowd. He taught at the Académie Julian in Paris, France. One of his more famous pupils includes Guillaume Seignac.
When his wife and infant son died, Bouguereau remarried, this time to an artist. He used his influence in the art world to promote female artists and got art institutions to open up their doors to female students. William-Adolphe Bouguereau died at the age of 79 from heart disease.
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