During a stay at the picturesque Four Chimneys Inn in Bennington, Vermont, there was a picture of a little girl at the top of the stairs to our room.
(It was most probably a print.)
A post about the unidentified painting can be found https://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2019/07/portrait-of-child-and-more.html
Well, the mystery of who painted her is solved, thanks to the Internet.
She is the masterpiece of a French artist, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, who lived from 1825 to 1905, according to written accounts.
The painting is titled "The Story Book," with the original done in oils on canvas.
There are several sites that give details about the life of the successful French painter, Bouguereau.
One excellent source is "The Art Story...Modern Art Insight."
If all the information one gleans is correct, "The Story Book" was painted in 1877, apparently the same year that both the artist's young wife and an infant son died.
It would be perfectly understandable why the artist made the little girl in the painting look so sad. It may have been because of the sadness in his own heart.
What remains unknown is whether the little girl was actually one of his children or made from his imagination.
Despite his major success as an artist, Bouguereau certainly had an immense amount of tragedy in his life.
His young, first wife, and mother of his five children, dying was one of them.
In addition, three of the five children died in infancy, according to written accounts.
(It was most probably a print.)
A post about the unidentified painting can be found https://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2019/07/portrait-of-child-and-more.html
Well, the mystery of who painted her is solved, thanks to the Internet.
She is the masterpiece of a French artist, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, who lived from 1825 to 1905, according to written accounts.
The painting is titled "The Story Book," with the original done in oils on canvas.
There are several sites that give details about the life of the successful French painter, Bouguereau.
One excellent source is "The Art Story...Modern Art Insight."
If all the information one gleans is correct, "The Story Book" was painted in 1877, apparently the same year that both the artist's young wife and an infant son died.
It would be perfectly understandable why the artist made the little girl in the painting look so sad. It may have been because of the sadness in his own heart.
What remains unknown is whether the little girl was actually one of his children or made from his imagination.
Despite his major success as an artist, Bouguereau certainly had an immense amount of tragedy in his life.
His young, first wife, and mother of his five children, dying was one of them.
In addition, three of the five children died in infancy, according to written accounts.
So, the mystery of who painted the sad-faced little girl in the painting that hangs in the inn at the top of the stairs is now solved.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE WORK OF THE LATE FRENCH ARTIST WILLIAM-ADOLPHE BOUGUEREAU?
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE WORK OF THE LATE FRENCH ARTIST WILLIAM-ADOLPHE BOUGUEREAU?
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