Bach, Bouguereau, and Hilary Hahn

William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905), *L’Attente (Meditation)*, signed and dated ‘W-BOVGVEREAV-1901’ (lower right) oil on canvas 45 5/8 x 26 ¼ in. (115.9 x 66.7 cm.), Image Source: Christie’s

“L’Attente is a late expression of the subject matter that appealed to Bouguereau throughout his long artistic career. The painting is a fantasie, or a theme inspired by Antiquity.”L’Attente is a late expression of the subject matter that appealed to Bouguereau throughout his long artistic career. The painting is a fantasie, or a theme inspired by Antiquity…The image of a beautiful young girl dressed in a pure-white chiton appears frequently throughout the artist’s oeuvre, but the addition of the mountainous landscape behind her is a motif to which the artist turned in the later year of his life. The mountains in the background, executed in the softest of lavenders and green, lend an air or mystery and quiet contemplation to the serene figure of the young woman. Her gaze into the far distance draws the viewer into her world, while the interplay of shadows and light in her garment results in one of Bouguereau’s most successful symphonies of white and grey, a juxtaposition of monochromatic color tones for which Bouguereau possessed a unique talent…”
READ FULL ESSAY: Christie’s