Adolphe-William Bouguereau’s Portrait of Madame la Comtesse de Cambaceres is an oil on canvas painting created in 1895. The artwork measures 90 x 121 cm and is currently located at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) in Seattle, WA, US. The painting is a fine reproduction of the original masterpiece that showcases grand formality and academic execution.
As an Academicism artwork, Bouguereau used mythological themes and emphasized the female human body in his realistic genre paintings. However, with this portrait, he strayed from his usual style and depicted a real-life sitter. The subject of the painting is Madame la Comtesse de Cambaceres, and the artist executed her portrait with great attention to detail and realism.
The painting is a reminder that not all fin-de-siècle artists were focused on toppling artistic conventions. Instead, Bouguereau maintained a steadfast belief in academicism, and the Portrait of Madame la Comtesse de Cambaceres serves as a prime example. This artwork is an excellent representation of the importance placed on formality and realism during the 19th century, and it continues to be admired by art lovers today.
