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In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and His American Students
William Bouguereau (1825–1905) was an influential French academic painter, who taught a long succession of gifted students, primarily at the private Académie Julian in Paris. Among them, Bouguereau instructed more than two hundred young American artists. In the Studios of Paris provides a unique look at the history of Parisian art education during the last quarter of the 19th century and its profound influence on American art.
This landmark publication—the first to focus exclusively on Bouguereau and his American pupils—presents sixty-five paintings, drawings, and prints by the master and eleven of his most prominent students, including Eanger Irving Couse, Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, and Robert Henri. A series of carefully researched essays place the artists’ work in historical context and discuss various American responses to Bouguereau’s painting and pedagogical techniques, along with the subsequent reception and collecting of their work in the United States.
This landmark publication—the first to focus exclusively on Bouguereau and his American pupils—presents sixty-five paintings, drawings, and prints by the master and eleven of his most prominent students, including Eanger Irving Couse, Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, and Robert Henri. A series of carefully researched essays place the artists’ work in historical context and discuss various American responses to Bouguereau’s painting and pedagogical techniques, along with the subsequent reception and collecting of their work in the United States.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2006
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March 12, 2022
This book is published in association with a relatively small exhibition that moved from Tulsa Philbrook Museum of Art to Appleton Museum in Florida, to Frick museum where I visited it.
It is a relatively thin (211p), but a large-format book. It starts with 4 essays – one on Bouguereau’s change of fame in America, one on him as a teacher, and two on his two students – Gardner and Couse. The catalog covers 52 plates, 14 of Bouguereau’s own, the rest are students.
The rest of the students were covered as a part of the catalog. Many are good and some are quite well-known paintings, but a few are just drafts and drawings. All plates are shown in large size and excellent color. Each takes the whole right page, although the page is not used wisely – a lot lots of white space left for all paintings. The opposite left page introduces the painter and talks about the picture. The has also size, location, most recent provenance, and reference to literature where it is mentioned. With that, the book serves as a useful introduction to a number of other Bouguereau’s students, not just Couse and Gardner covered by the essays. In total, the book is a very good introduction to Bouguereau as a teacher, an aspect not covered by other books, as well as the whole period of “Paris studios”. I rate it as 4 stars due to a relatively low coverage – it focuses on is a rather random set of the work of his students, which stems from its nature as a smaller-scale exhibition - whichever paintings were available. Yet, recommend it to those interested in the art of the period.
It is a relatively thin (211p), but a large-format book. It starts with 4 essays – one on Bouguereau’s change of fame in America, one on him as a teacher, and two on his two students – Gardner and Couse. The catalog covers 52 plates, 14 of Bouguereau’s own, the rest are students.
The rest of the students were covered as a part of the catalog. Many are good and some are quite well-known paintings, but a few are just drafts and drawings. All plates are shown in large size and excellent color. Each takes the whole right page, although the page is not used wisely – a lot lots of white space left for all paintings. The opposite left page introduces the painter and talks about the picture. The has also size, location, most recent provenance, and reference to literature where it is mentioned. With that, the book serves as a useful introduction to a number of other Bouguereau’s students, not just Couse and Gardner covered by the essays. In total, the book is a very good introduction to Bouguereau as a teacher, an aspect not covered by other books, as well as the whole period of “Paris studios”. I rate it as 4 stars due to a relatively low coverage – it focuses on is a rather random set of the work of his students, which stems from its nature as a smaller-scale exhibition - whichever paintings were available. Yet, recommend it to those interested in the art of the period.
Displaying 1 of 1 review