Art Blogging: William Bouguereau

This is the third day of a seven-day blog post series on my favorite artists and their works.
Today's featured artist is William Adolphe Bouguereau, a French Neoclassicist who lived from 1825 to 1905. I commemorated the centennial of his death in August. He was arguably one of the greatest artists who has ever lived. When the Impressionist Eduoard Manet was asked who would be known as the greatest artist of the 19th Century, he unhesitatingly replied, "Bouguereau". In his own time, Bouguereau's fame was eclipsed by no one. He was the summit of the Academic tradition, and when he died, the movement was fatally wounded.

Scorned as old fashioned and plain compared to the 'art' of Modernism, Bouguereau was confined to drawing rooms and attics for decades until a recent resurgence of interest in his creations.

Bouguereau was noted for his portraits of classical mythology, idyllic country life, sensuous romanticism, and devout Catholicism. Pieta, on the right, falls into the latter category. I saw it at the Dallas Museum of Art years ago. It was simply amazing. The suffering of the Madonna permeates the canvas. Her face expresses that moment in grieving when you can't cry anymore and you can't be consoled. There's nothing for you to do but sit and wait for the pain to go on and on.

UPDATE: Bad links fixed.