A French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in November 30, 1825.William Bouguereau (French pronunciation: [vijɑ̃ buɡøʁo]) was a traditionalist whose realistic genre paintings and mythological themes were modern interpretations of Classical subjects with a heavy emphasis on the female human body.
This is a print of a classic 19th century painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau entitled ' Evening Mood' . It features a sexy young nude woman standing on the shore of a storm ocean as evening sets in the sliver of a moon appears. Although he created an idealized world, his almost photo-realistic style was popular with rich art patrons. He was very famous in his time but today his subject matter and technique receive relatively little attention compared to the popularity of the Impressionists.
The career of William Bouguereau, unlike that of his contemporaries, the then avant-garde Impressionists, was one of ever-increasing success without significant setback. He was born on the west coast of France into a family of wine (later olive oil) merchants and was given a classical education by his uncle Eugène, a curate, who tutored him in bible study, Latin and Greek, with particular reference to Old and New Testament stories and classical mythology.Bouguereau was also a respected teacher and in 1881 was elected president of the painting section of the Paris Salon. In 1883 he became president of the benevolent Society of Painters, Architects, Sculptors, Engravers and Designers, which promoted and attended to the welfare of new and struggling artists. He also taught drawing at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and also taught at the independent Académie Julian.In the spring of 1905, Bouguereau's house and studio in Paris were robbed. On August 19, 1905, Bouguereau died in La Rochelle at the age of 79 from heart disease.
