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William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30, 1825 – August 19, 1905) was a French academic painter and traditionalist. In his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. During his life he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honours, and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he was reviled by the Impressionist avant-garde. By the early twentieth century, Bouguereau and his art fell out of favour with the public, due in part to changing tastes. In the 1980s, a revival of interest in figure painting led to a rediscovery of Bouguereau and his work. Throughout the course of his life, Bouguereau executed 822 known finished paintings, although the whereabouts of many are still unknown. Although well known for his paintings of peasant girls and mythological scenes, has also become one of the most beloved religious painters of all times. As a devout catholic, Bouguereau viewed his work as a form of worship both of God and of His most beloved creation, mankind. His sincere belief can be clearly seen in his religious paintings, for which he took no short cuts and spared no time and dedication in creating. Bouguereau's religious paintings (of which there are approximately 65) make up about eight percent of his total oeuvre.

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1 Madonna and Child with the young John the Baptist. Painted by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) in 1863. Oil on canvas. 138.4×109.2 cms. Chi Mei Museum, Taiwan.

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2a Stained glass window depicting the death of Joseph, in The Chapel of Saint-Joseph, La Rochelle Cathedral, Charente-Maritime, France. Made by the Parisian workshops of Antoine Lusson and L. Lefevre after a design by William Bouguereau (1825-1905) in 1872, it represents the death-bed of Saint Joseph surrounded by a decorative border with alternating motifs of inscribed cartouches and fleur-de-lys. In its hanger is a medallion representing the Joseph of the Old Testament being recognized by his brothers, as the glorified Christ acknowledges His foster-father in the scene below, while Mary intercedes.

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2b Stained glass window depicting the death of Joseph (detail), in The Chapel of Saint-Joseph, La Rochelle Cathedral, Charente-Maritime, France. Made by the Parisian workshops of Antoine Lusson and L. Lefevre after a design by William Bouguereau (1825-1905) in 1872, it represents the death-bed of Saint Joseph surrounded by a decorative border with alternating motifs of inscribed cartouches and fleur-de-lys. In its hanger is a medallion representing the Joseph of the Old Testament being recognized by his brothers, as the glorified Christ acknowledges His foster-father in the scene below, while Mary intercedes.

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3 The Virgin, Jesus and Saint John the Baptist. Painted by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) in 1875. Oil on canvas. 122 x 200.5 cms. Private collection.

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4 William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1825 – 1905. The Virgin of Consolation, c. 1875. Oil on canvas. 204 x 148 cms (80¼” x 58¼”). Les Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg (France). The origin of this traditional invocation is derived from the Augustinian monks.

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5a  The Chapel of the Virgin, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle. Scènes de la vie de la Vierge. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905). The bishop planned to have the whole of the cathedral painted, but only the chapel of the Virgin was. Bouguereau reserved the right to do this work as he wished. The painter had suffered, between 1872 and 1877, the loss of three of his five children, and that of his wife. The canvases he produced were certainly inspired by these dramas, notably his Pietà, whose monumentality recalls the work of Michelangelo. While, as a young resident of the Villa Medici, he made a tour of Italy, Bouguereau had been enthusiastic about the murals of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, and by the mosaics of Saint-Apollinare and Saint-Vitale in Ravenna; he had even dreamed for a while of devoting himself to sacred painting. His early education predisposed him to it: his uncle, a parish priest, had instilled in him the feeling that he should use the gifts received from heaven to celebrate the glory of God. He was therefore an ideal candidate to carry out the decoration of this chapel. It has three main divisions: the walls pierced with windows separated by Ionic pilasters crowned with their entablature, a high arch, and a dome.

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5b The Chapel of the Virgin, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle. Scènes de la vie de la Vierge. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905). Between 1872 and 1883, Bouguereau produced the arched panels from the drop-off of the dome, representing the main events in the life of the Virgin: the Annunciation and the Visitation, the Nativity and the Flight into Egypt, the Swoon of the Virgin and the Pietà. In the dome the painter executed an Assumption. It is dated 1875 and it contrasts, by its lightness and its illusionism, with the hieratic nature of the scenes below.

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6a Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: Annonciation. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes, La Rochelle.

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6b Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: Annonciation (detail). Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes, La Rochelle.

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7a Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Visitation. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle, France.

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7b Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Visitation (detail). Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle, France.

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8a Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Nativité. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle.

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8b Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Nativité (detail). Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle.

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9a Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Fuite en Egypte. Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle.

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9b Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Fuite en Egypte (detail). Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle.

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10a Scènes de la vie de la Vierge: la Pâmoison de la Vierge (The Fainting of the Virgin). Painted by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825 – 1905) in 1876. La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle.