Admiration by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1897. Oil on canvas, San Antonio Museum of Art. Five women surrounding Cupid, all reaching for him while he stands there looking coy. Reworked from his earlier “The Offering of Love” with fewer figures. Won top honours at the 1899 Salon. Skin glows from layered tones underneath, dark forest background, temples on a distant hill, no brushstrokes visible anywhere.
Born La Rochelle 1825, died 1905. Eight hundred and twenty two paintings. Most successful French painter of his generation, most hated by the Impressionists. Reputation died with him, came back in the 1980s when people admitted the technique was extraordinary. Now in major museums worldwide.

Interior Design Style
- Living rooms
- Formal bedrooms
- Reading rooms and libraries
- Boutique hotels
- Art studios
- Luxury offices
- Classical dining rooms
- Hallways and gallery walls
Complete Artwork Details
Title: Admiration
Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Year: 1897
Artist’s nationality: French
Medium: Oil on canvas
Art movement: French Academic art
Style: Academic Classicism
Genre: Mythological and allegorical figure painting
Main theme: Cupid surrounded by five women
Orientation: Horizontal / landscape
It is approximately: 58 by 78 inches (147․3 by 198․1 cm)․
Current collection: San Antonio Museum of Art‚ Texas

Reviews
Clear filtersThere are no reviews yet.