La fille du pêcheur by William Bouguereau
- This delightful portrait is a tour de force of oil painting, impossibly smooth and realistic
- It depicts Bouguereau’s favored subject: children at ease in a picturesque setting
- The artist was celebrated in his day, often with a two-year waiting list for his prized works
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
1825-1905 | French
La fille du pêcheur
(The Fisherman’s Daughter)
Signed and dated “W-Bouguereau-1882” (middle right)
Oil on canvas
William Bouguereau’s influence on 19th-century art is profound, earning him a cherished place in the French Academy. His frequent exhibitions at the Paris Salon led to the event being colloquially known as “Le Salon Bouguereau.” Among his numerous masterpieces, La fille du pêcheurstands out as an extraordinary work, epitomizing both the simplicity of life and the grandeur inherent in Bouguereau’s oeuvre.
Bouguereau’s unparalleled ability to depict the moods and personalities of his subjects within classical settings is evident in this work. Influenced by the great Neoclassical artist Ingres, Bouguereau’s technique demonstrates an exceptional degree of finish and luminous coloration, characteristics of his prestigious education at the École Royale des Beaux-Arts. His portraits, especially those of peasant women and children, are among his most cherished works, with La fille du pêcheur being a particularly exquisite example.
In this composition, a young girl stands against a historic column with a picturesque fishing village as her backdrop. Captured at the height of summer and her youthful vigor, she holds a basket, likely for collecting fish or other goods. Her gaze is both entrancing and coy, suggesting a moment of pure adolescent liveliness, possibly interrupted while running an errand. The intricate rendering of her dress and radiant skin, combined with her confident pose, imbues the subject with a vitality that seems to leap off the canvas.
Bouguereau’s works are immensely popular among collectors worldwide and can be found in prestigious collections such as the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the New Orleans Museum of Art. La fille du pêcheur is included in the Bouguereau catalogue raisonné as 1882/06.
Dated 1882
Canvas: 57” high x 34 1/2” wide (133.78 x 87.62 cm)
Framed: 67 1/8” high x 44 3/4” wide x 2 1/4“ deep (170.50 x 113.67 x 5.72 cm)
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