E-Books →William-Adolphe Bouguereau Masterpieces - 250 Academic Paintings - Gallery Series

William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in La Rochelle, France, on November 30, 1825. His family were olive oil and wine merchants, and at first it was assumed that he would follow into the family business. But when very young he displayed a strong talent for drawing, and his uncle Eugene, a curate, took it upon himself to provide young William (who did not use the name "Adolphe") with an education including Latin, Greek history and mythology, and both Old and New Testament studies. He also arranged for William to attend high school, where he formally studied drawing for the first time, under the tutelage of Louis Sage.
After high school William did work for a time in the family business, but a client, noting his significant talent, convinced his father that he should be allowed to attend the Йcole des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, where he earned a first prize award for his painting of Saint Roch. Despite the long hours demanded by both his job and his art studies, during this time he also earned extra money by designing jam and jelly labels.
His uncle, still supporting and encouraging his artistic career, obtained for William commissions painting portraits of his Eugene's parishioners, and with this money matched by a gift from his aunt, he was able to move to Paris and enroll in France's most-respected Йcole des Beaux-Arts. (cont)