William-Adolphe Bouguereau born on 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his lifelike genre paintings, he used mythic themes, making modern explanation of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. throughout his life, he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given many official honors and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he was criticized 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. Throughout the course of his life, Bouguereau carry out 822 known completed paintings, even though the whereabouts of many are still unknown.

References

Glueck, Grace (6 January 1985). "To Bouguereau, Art Was Strictly 'The Beautiful'". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2013.

Ross, Fred. "William Bouguereau: Genius Reclaimed". Art Renewal. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2013.

Jensen, Robert (1996). Marketing Modernism in Fin-de-siècle Europe

Bouguereau & America at The San Diego Museum of Art". San Diego Museum of Art.