Master of the Figure

William Bouguereau, Self-portrait, 1879

When you think of great artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, what names come to mind? How about if we narrow it to just French artists? You’d probably think of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Seurat, Manet, Degas, or perhaps even Courbet. All tremendous artists and well-deserving of perpetual recognition and fame. But there’s someone missing, an artist who was almost without question the greatest figure painter of his era. A man who completed 700 oils on canvas, won every award possible at the time including the Prix de Rome, first class medal at the Salon in Paris, Grand Medal of Honor at the Salon, and was elected president of the painting section at the Salon. He was only one of forty artists selected to a lifetime membership of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, taught life drawing at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and figure painting at the Academie Julian (he had the best models and accepted female students), and received the very high of honor of being named an officer in the Napoleonic Legion of Honor. Any idea who this might be?

Unfortunately most people today do not recognize the name or the art of William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905). That’s a shame, because not only is he my favorite artist, but in my mind he belongs on the same platform with the other great artists – especially figurative painters – of all time. His technical ability is universally regarded as impeccable, and he was greatly admired by most of his artistic contemporaries. Today his paintings are typically the most popular pieces in a museum or collection.

Despite being the most popular painting in the museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts recently sold The Bohemian, 1890.

So why is he a relatively obscure figure (no pun intended) in the art world today? The answer is somewhat complicated, but the primary reason is because he is overshadowed by the Impressionist movement of the day. Bouguereau was staunchly Classical in his subject matter (nymphs, myths, biblical scenes), and he preferred highly finished, idealized figures to the realism of artists like Courbet. Bouguereau and Gerome were the hold-out Romantic and Neo-classic artists, but the direction of the art world was definitely moving toward the modernity of the Impressionists and their ilk. That Bouguereau clung to traditional technique and subject matter rankled the progressive artists and critiques, who made Bouguereau their favorite whipping boy (Degas was particularly scornful). That anti-Classic snobbery largely persisted throughout the 20th century. Only in the past decade or so has Bouguereau seen a resurgence of popularity, with his paintings selling for higher than ever prices at auctions and his work enjoying immense popularity at art museums across the United States.

If you continue to read this blog, you’ll find that I’ll reference and praise Bouguereau a great deal. Plenty of you will disagree with me, but in my mind there is no finer figurative painter in history than William Bouguereau. His technique is superb, his colors are warm and inventive yet restrained, and his classic subject matter – often criticized as “sweet and sentimental” – is to my personal liking. Discovering his paintings about 10 years ago opened my eyes to the possibilities of figurative art. Indirectly, his work influenced my decision to become an art model. For an outstanding analysis of one of his best works and the process of completing it, take a look at a blog post by artist Stapleton Kearns here.

Since I’ll be discussing William Bouguereau frequently, I won’t go into his biographical details now, or discuss all his work. Instead, I’ve posted my 3 favorite Bouguereau paintings below. My favorite is Nymphs and Satyr. To me this painting is a microcosm of Bouguereau’s appeal: superb figures (look at the gestures of the nymphs, particularly the front right), excellent flesh tones, perfect color, classic theme, sensuality, and light sexual tension – most men would love to be in the satyr’s position! The second is Song of the Angels, a piece I love for its sentimentality, figures, and color.  Finally, and this was a difficult choice, I decided on Zenobia Found by the Shepherds on the Banks of the Araxes. This painting represents what I love about Bouguereau, and to a certain extent modeling. There are great male and female nudes, interaction between the figures, wonderful color, and an excellent Classical setting. Enjoy these for now, but realize there will be plenty of more Bouguereau paintings to enjoy in the future…

Nymphs and Satyr, 1873

Song of the Angels, 1881

Zenobia Found by the Shepherds, 1850