“Young Shepherdess” (French: “Jeune Bergère)

Who Painted this? William Adolphe Bouguereau

Where is he from? France

When was this painted? 1868

What is this made of? Oil on canvas

Montague Dawson, who painted the Cutty Sark, had no formal art training. William Adolphe Bouguereau who painted this painting, “Young Shepherdess,” was the complete opposite. He attended the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France — an important fine art school still in existence today.

Look at the colors he used in this painting; they are so vivid it almost looks like a photograph. Bouguereau used a technique called glazing. Rather than mixing the colors to achieve the right tone of a certain color, he would apply thin layers of colors upon each other. This allowed him to achieve unbelievably realistic results, especially with skin tones.

Have you ever tried painting a portrait of someone? If you have, what did you enjoy the most about it and what did you find most difficult?

Fun Fact: At the beginning of his career, in order to earn some extra money, Bouguereau designed labels for jams and jellies.