The Young Shepherdess 1885

William Bouguereau painted ‘The Young Shepherdess’ in France, though the date remains unknown, using oil on canvas. Bouguereau painted idealized peasants that appealed to the conservative tastes of the art establishment and the bourgeoisie. In this image, the shepherdess seems to be pausing from her labour; her bare feet suggest she is of a lower class. Bouguereau’s shepherdesses were fashionable at a time when French society was changing due to industrialisation. There was nostalgia for a rural past and a desire for simpler times. Here, the shepherdess is a fantasy figure for the modern city dweller: charming, but safely distant. Bouguereau was a professor at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and the institutional power that he wielded kept other, more progressive artists out. To understand more fully the social role of Bouguereau’s paintings, consider researching the institutions that promoted his work. Also look at the critical responses of the time.