The Oreads
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1902
William Adolphe Bouguereau
French · 1825–1905
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. During his life, he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honors, and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he was reviled by the Impressionist avant-garde. By the early twentieth century, Bouguereau and his art fell out of favor with the public, due in part to changing tastes. In the 1980s, a revival of interest in figure painting led to a rediscovery of Bouguereau and his work. He finished 822 known paintings, but the whereabouts of many are still unknown.
Independent artist guide by Momentable. Biography from Wikipedia; artworks credited to the museums that hold them.
LIVENow streaming · The Oreads- works in the archive
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The work
A selection of 6 works, free to stream.
The Oreads
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1902
Musée d'Orsay
The Birth of Venus
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1879
Musée d'Orsay
Equality Before Death
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1848
Musée d'Orsay
The Dance
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1856
Musée d'Orsay
Dante and Virgil in Hell
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1850
Musée d'Orsay
A Calling
William Adolphe Bouguereau
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Works worth knowing
5 of William Adolphe Bouguereau's works, and what makes each one worth a look.
The Oreads
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1902
Musée d'Orsay
The Oreads is an oil painting by the French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau. It was painted in 1902 and its dimensions are 237.5 × 181.5 cm. In 2009 the descendants of the artist donated the artwork to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it is now exhibited.
The Birth of Venus
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1879
Musée d'Orsay
The Birth of Venus is one of the most famous paintings by 19th-century painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. It depicts not the actual birth of Venus from the sea, but her transportation in a shell as a fully mature woman from the sea to Paphos in Cyprus. She is considered the epitome of the Classical Greek and Roman ideal of the female form and beauty, on par with Venus de Milo.
Equality Before Death
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1848
Musée d'Orsay
Equality Before Death is an 1848 oil-on-canvas painting by the French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. It depicts an angel of death covering the body of a young man with a shroud. It is located at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
The Dance
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1856
Musée d'Orsay
La Danse (English: The Dance) is an oil-on-canvas painting created by the French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1856. The painting is currently held in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The work, commissioned in 1855 by Anatole Bartholoni to decorate a living room at his Paris hotel, represents dance in an allegorical manner.
Dante and Virgil in Hell
William-Adolphe Bouguereau · 1850
Musée d'Orsay
Dante and Virgil in Hell is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau, from 1850. It is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The painting depicts a scene from Dante's Divine Comedy, which narrates a journey through Hell by Dante and his guide Virgil.
Where the work hangs
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View on MomentableIndependent guide by Momentable · biography from Wikipedia · artworks are in the public domain and credited to the museum that holds them