The painting "The Birth of Venus" by Bouguereau is less known to the townsfolk than the famous masterpiece by Sandro Botticelli. Despite this, it is rightfully considered the pearl of world art heritage.
Artist Bouguereau. Pictures and fate
Adolphe William Bouguereau is one of the most recognizable masters of late academism. The brush master was born in 1825. The artist lived a long and eventful life. Contemporaries considered him one of the outstanding painters, the Impressionists prophesied the recognition of posterity and the glory of the greatest French artist of the 19th century.
An outstanding representative of the French school early took place as an artist. Bouguereau painted in accordance with the traditions of the academic school. However, in his interpretation of the classic plots and frozen classic forms received a different sound. In his paintings, fleeting gestures are skillfully conveyed: a tilt of the head, a slight nod, a lowered look. The bodies are filled with movement, grace. They amazingly combine academic sculptural forms and lightness.
The great painter died in 1905. After the artist’s death, interest in his work quickly subsided. He never accepted the innovative ideas of impressionism, remaining faithful to the academic tradition.
Two Venus
The painting “The Birth of Venus” by Bouguereau is not new in the plot. The appearance of the beautiful goddess on the sink surrounded by cupids and sea nymphs dates back to the traditions of the early Renaissance. As a representative of the academic school, Bouguereau relied on the experience of the masters of the Early and especially High Renaissance in his artistic searches. Compositionally, his work goes back to the famous “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. References to the "Triumph of Galatea" by Raphael are also visible in it.
As in Botticelli's work , Venus Bouguereau appears naked on the shell leaf. This is a classic attribute that accompanies the image of the goddess, as a symbol of sensuality, sexuality and fertility. The master turns to the canonical image, his Venus is a golden-haired, white-skinned beauty, reclining on her back, like a veil, heavy long ringlets.
The triumph of beauty
Nevertheless, the painting “The Birth of Venus” by Bouguereau differs significantly from previous samples. If Botticelli depicted the moment the goddess appeared from the foam of the sea, then Bouguereau captured her ascent from the sea to the city of Paphos on the island of Crete. Unlike the modest and bashful Venus Botticelli, the image created by the 19th century master is filled with sensuality, overt sexuality. His venus does not hide shyly, she reveals herself, demonstrating her beauty and femininity to the world.
A large canvas of about three meters in height is stored in the Orsay Museum in Paris. The painting “The Birth of Venus” by Bouguereau is rightfully considered one of the pearls of this collection and the best work of the author.