The works of William Adolphe Bouguereau

This video clip from YouTube shows the major works of William Adolphe Bouguereau.

The French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), known as William Bouguereau, as he used to sign, or simply as Bouguereau, was a traditionalist known for his realistic genre of paintings. He painted mostly mythological themes with a special emphasis on the female human body.

His almost photo-realistic style was popular with rich art patrons of his time but his technique and style seems to have lost out to the popularity of the Impressionists. Bouguereau's graceful portraits of women were very charming, partly because he could alter and beautify an artist’s model while retaining her likeness.

Bouguereau was a traditionalist whose realistic genre and mythological themes were modern interpretations of classical subjects, mythological, pagan and Christian themes. He brought to life goddesses, nymphs, bathers, shepherdesses, and Madonna’s in a way that appealed to the wealthy art patrons of his era. Bouguereau’s works were eagerly bought by American millionaires who rated him the most important French artist of his times. He was also a sought after portrait painter and many of his paintings of wealthy patrons remain in private hands. He was quite prolific and art connoisseurs identify 826 paintings to his credit.

William Bouguereau’s major works include: Alone in the World (1867), Chapel of the Virgin, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church, Paris (1885-89), Cupidon (1875), Evening Mood (1882), La Danse (1850), L'Amour et Psyché, enfants (1890), Le Printemps (The Return of Spring) (1886), Nymphs and Satyr (1873), Premier Deuil (The First Mourning) (1888), The Birth of Venus (1879), The Bohemian (1890), The Knitting Girl (1869), The Nut Gatherers (1882), The Shepherdess (1889), and The Young Shepherdess (1885).

On 19 August 1905, Bouguereau died of heart disease in La Rochelle at the age of 79.