William Bouguereau and Jean-Francois Millet were both French painters and they both studied classic subjects, but they had different perspectives and styles. Through their art, Bouguereau seemed to want to look for positive things in life, while Millet wanted to show the dark truths.
William Bouguereau seemed to beautify the human form, while Jean-Francois Millet was more critically acclaimed, because of his concentration on the "honest" depiction of the realistic and hardworking ways of life, making the nature that surrounded the figure the most important part of his work. As artists, Bouguereau was definitely a romanticist, while Millet was a realist.
"Newborn Lamb" by Millet and "Shepherdess" by Bouguereau are similarly themed concepts with each of their own styles thrown into it. Fronia Wissman compares them by writing, "Bouguereau's shepherdess shows how Bouguereau has citified, or, at the least, taken the country out of his version. Millet's peasant does not pose; she has work to do and walks sturdily along."
As an art lover, one can both appreciate Bouguereau's style and work while appreciating Millet's. Whether someone wants to dwell on optimism of life or the harsh reality, they can appreciate and learn from both artist's works for their skill, craft, themes, and the messages they are trying to convey.
No comments:
Post a Comment