Bouguereau . The Forgotten Genius of French Academic Art

Until recently, time and fashion had forgotten about Monsure ,William Adolphe Bouguereau. Derided and mocked by the new high priests of the Impressionist school, Bouguereau and his Realist, Academic, Classical paintings of agrarian idylls, Christian imagery, classical mythology and naked goddess's became unfashionable to the point that it was de-rigueur in Mid Nineteenth Century Europe to consign them to dark attics ,in favor of the new wave on canvas. However one thing is certain and that genius will not go ignored forever and now mainly through the efforts of American Collectors,Connoisseurs and certain Reproduction Studios the magnificent paintings of this great French Master are both becoming available and much appreciated by the art loving public.

Here is a short Biography : more can be found by utilizing the links provided here for your convenience.

As a young man, Bouguereau put himself through the Ecole des Beaux-Arts by keeping books for a wine merchant and coloring labels for a local grocer. In his spare time, he created drawings from memory.

Bouguereau produced more than seven hundred finished works and achieved a remarkable level of public acclaim and financial success. He never forgot his difficult early days. He assisted young artists who were struggling just as he had, to pursue an artistic career in the face of financial difficulties. Like many painters of the second half of the 19th century, Bouguereau made a careful study of form and technique and steeped himself in classical sculpture and painting. True to his serious and industrious nature, he worked deliberately and industriously: before beginning a painting he studied the subject closely and made many sketches from which he worked

Bouguereau was particularly skillful with his portrayal of domestic scenes and children, his techniques rendering a most exquisite quality and detailed work of art with his unmistakable use of color.

For further information about Bouguereau and to see Paintings for Sale done by our in-house Bouguereau specialist, "Marino Vasallo" go to our website at www.kingsgalleries.com and to fully understand why you should only be considering Kings, read this article