Tag: French Academic Art

Artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Penchant for Motherly Love

A sample of paintings by 19th-century French artist, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, expresses a talent fascinated by the tender beauty of womanhood. Regarded today as one of the best painters of human anatomy, he breathed life into his figures by capturing the subtle nuances of personality and mood. Bouguereau’s appreciation for young mothers reached a classical reverence…


‘Les Belles-Soeurs’: Ingres Portraits of the Royal Sisters

Two celebrated belles of mid-19th century Parisian society were Louise de Broglie, Countess d’Haussonville, and Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn, Princesse de Broglie. They were “les belles-sœurs,” sisters-in-law, and each was immortalized in spectacular portraits by the renowned French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. These paintings now reside respectively at The Frick Collection and The…


‘Les Belles-Soeurs’: Ingres’s Portraits of the Royal Sisters

Two celebrated belles of mid-19th century Parisian society were Louise de Broglie, Countess d’Haussonville, and Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn, Princesse de Broglie. They were “les belles-sœurs,” sisters-in-law, and each was immortalized in spectacular portraits by the renowned French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. These paintings now reside respectively at The Frick Collection and The…


Ancient Queens in French Academic Paintings

French Academic art encompasses numerous traditional genres, from portraiture to still-life, but Grand Histories may be among the most noteworthy of the period. These paintings take inspiration from the past, as the name implies, but artists elaborated on source materials to create nobler, more compelling narratives. Ancient, legendary queens, along with the captivating stories surrounding…


A Day in The Life: A Student at the 19th-Century French Academy

Every day, we wake up and we hurry to our jobs or to school. We become part of a routine that seems to encapsulate us. In this series, we will take a moment from our hectic, fast-paced world, step outside of our routine, and imagine what life may have been like across cultures and eras….