Gardners Art through the Ages A Global History

structive to compare Olympia with a work by a highly acclaimed

French academic artist of the time,Adolphe-William Bouguereau

(1825–1905). In Nymphs and a Satyr (FIG. 30-35), Bouguereau char-

acteristically depicted a classical mythological subject with polished il-

lusionism. The flirtatious and ideally beautiful nymphs strike graceful

poses yet seem based as closely on nature as are the details of their leafy

surroundings. They playfully pull in different directions the satyr,the

mythical Greek beast-man, with a goat’s hindquarters and horns, a

horse’s ears and tail, and a man’s upper body. Although Bouguereau

arguably depicted this scene in a very naturalistic manner, it is em-

phatically not Realist. His choice of a fictional theme and adherence to

established painting conventions were staunchly traditional. In con-

trast to the daring and pioneering—and underappreciated—Manet,

Bouguereau was immensely popular during the later 19th century, en-

joying the favor of state patronage throughout his career.

Germany and the United States

Although French artists took the lead in promoting Realism and the

notion that artists should depict the realities of modern life, this

movement was not exclusively French. The Realist foundation in

empiricism and positivism appealed to artists in many European

countries and in the United States.

WILHELM LEIBL Three Women in a Village Church (FIG.

30-36) by Wilhelm Leibl(1844–1900) demonstrates the German

artist’s commitment to Realist principles and his mastery of the

quaint and quiet details of country life. His painting records a sacred

moment—the moment of prayer—in the life of three country

women of different generations. Dressed in rustic costume, their

Sunday best, they pursue their devotions unself-consciously, their

prayer books held in large hands roughened by work. Their manners

and dress reflect their unaffected nature, untouched by the refine-

ments of urban life. Leibl highlighted their natural virtues: simplic-

ity, honesty, steadfastness, patience.

Leibl spent three years working on this image of peasants in

their village church, often under impossible conditions of lighting

and temperature. Despite the meticulous application of paint and

sharpness of focus,Three Womenis a moving expression of the Ger-

man artist’s compassionate view of his subjects, a reading of charac-

ter without sentimentality.

Realism 805

30-35Adolphe-William Bouguereau,Nymphs and a Satyr,1873.

Oil on canvas, 9–^38  5  107 – 8 . Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute,

Williamstown.

More renowned than Manet in his own day, Bouguereau was an artist

in the French academic tradition who specialized in depicting subjects

from classical mythology with polished naturalism.

30-36Wilhelm Leibl,Three Women in a Village Church,1878–1882.

Oil on canvas, 2 5  2  1 . Kunsthalle, Hamburg.

French Realism spread quickly to Germany, where Leibl painted this

moving depiction of simple peasant women of different generations

holding their prayer books in hands roughened by work.

1 ft.

1 in.