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What Is Bouguereau's Depiction Of 'The Young Shepherdess'

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The Young Shepherdess was painted in 1885 by William Adolphe Bouguereau on a 62 by 28 and a half inch canvas with oil paint, and is currently owned by the San Diego Museum of Art, given as a gift to the museum in 1968 by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin S. Larsen (“The Young Shepherdess”, 2014). The painting depicts a young woman tending to her flock of sheep. The young woman in this painting appears to be a typical youth, she is assigned what are most likely her chores for the day, to watch over this flock of sheep while they graze. Her body faces her flock of sheep, but her head turns to face the viewer. She seems to be distracted, she is looking away from the flock, almost appearing to gaze at the painting’s viewer, but simultaneously looking past that, …show more content…

This is exemplified by an entry in “The Art History Blog”. The entry reads, “Bouguereau in particular was not the most realistic depictor of the characters in his genre scenes, especially his peasant shepherdesses, above. While his paintings are high in realistic rendering—rendering that is, in fact, even too realistic—the subjects are all highly idealized and perfected. These shepherd girls are beautiful, clean-footed, dressed in unfashionable but intact, clean clothes, and sport noble, solemn expressions.” (“Bouguereau and the Italian Peasant”, 2014). This article references Bouguereau’s depictions of shepherdesses as a whole, so the analysis of “The Young Shepherdess” may be more in depth. It is possible that his painting of this young woman in particular is meant to represent the perfection and innocence of youth. She certainly seems as though she could be a manifestation of the qualities of youth deemed to symbolize perfection, while simultaneously being a very real, tangible, person. There are also certain qualities that cannot be reconciled with the painting’s otherwise extreme realism. The blur of the locks of hair surrounding her head, flowing in the wind, almost seem to create a halo around her head that blends seamlessly with the sky that gives her appearance an ethereal, otherworldly quality. This serves to further her idealized …show more content…

He demonstrated artistic talent as a youth, and was allowed to attend the drawing school of M. Alaux. At this school, “His fellow pupils, almost without exception, intended to be artists, and felt a contempt for Bouguereau on account of his business occupations; thus, when at the end of the year he took the prize for which all had striven, the excitement was so great that a riot occurred, and the pupils made a formal protest against his receiving it, but without effect.” (Erskine-Clement, 79-80). This type of reaction to Bouguereau’s success became quite typical within the art community. The impressionist and realist painters of his era despised his rigidly academic style, and commercial incentives. He was paid top dollar for his works, and even though he had great passion for his work, he realized that in order to succeed financially, his subjects must reflect the tastes of the market. This is perhaps one of the most intriguing things about Bouguereau, that despite the fact that his works were often commissioned, and that he was expected to paint certain subjects, his work still showcased a remarkable amount of passion and energy. The most successful period of his career was after his return to France in 1854, where “he became an immensely successful and influential exponent of academic art, upholding traditional values and contriving to exclude avant-garde work from the Salon” (Chilvers, 68). This is the period in

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