Bouguereau gained local acclaim as a talented portrait painter before going to Paris in 1846 to attend cole des Beaux Arts, noted for its traditional academic approach to painting. In 1850 Bougereau was awarded the coveted Prix de Rome and spent four years at the Villa Medici studying Classical and Renaissance masterpieces. The potent influence of Classical works is readily apparent in works dating after this period.

Bouguereau blended classical poses and subject matter with his own romanticized realism rendered in the highly finished style that would come to characterize his paintings. During the 1870s Bouguereau's focus shifted from historical and genre scenes to lighter, lyrical mythological subjects. Highly... [View Full Biography]