Searching for Bouguereau

[Peter Dransfield]

Well I just flatly disagree on your rejection of the value of the artists I listed and personally have the opposite emotional reaction when in front of their work but that is fine. I still think there is a confusion and conflation of technique and content. I do not think anyone including Degas and Monet thought B's technique deficient and they may well have admired it but they also did not think it sufficent to produce great art. The quote by Degas and Monet concerning b is a misquote since they also coined the term 'Bouguereaute' which described work they considered slick but superficial and so their opinion of B was derogatory rather than admirative. They did not think B was the greatest artist of the century but did think that a future vulger public might think so.

B said very little if anything about the century in which he lived. With the exception of some of his portraits we get idealisation rather than reality and sentiment rather than truth.

By all means learn from him technically and I agree it was stupendous, but his content has lessons for nobody and that is a shame. I consider B a great talent that was satisfied furnishing the walls of the rich rather than saying anything profound and so in terms of the history of art one of art's great underachievers. Great art is never technique alone and that is all B had.

[Marvin Mattelson]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. However, I think you are making broad sweeping statements and confusing them with fact.

Are you the official spokesperson for Degas and Monet? Perhaps the term 'Bouguereaute' referred to the vast number of painters who were desperately trying to emulate Bouguereau's success by copying the superficial aspects of his work. Do you have an exact quote where they refer to him pejoratively, or is this an assumption on your part? Did they also specifically indict a "future vulgar public" or is this too your own assertion?

Personally, I use the term "impressionist" with a negative connotation, except when referring to people like Frank Caliendo, Frank Gorshin and Robin Williams. It's always a good thing to make people laugh.

"Truth" and "reality" very sketchy words, at best. I personally think that Bouguereau was quite truthful while, on the other hand, someone like Picasso was, in my opinion, strictly out there to dupe the public and as you stated, furnish the walls of the rich. I think that Bouguereau's early allegorical works were technically strong but vapid and empty. I think when he found his muse things changed drastically and even the technical aspect improved greatly.

As far as no one being able to take lessons from Bouguereau's content, I beg to differ, and offer myself as proof of at least one living vulgar soul who does just that.
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