Bouguereau, William-Adolphe (1825-1905)
Frère et soeur bretons (Breton Brother and Sister)
1871
Oil on canvas, 129.2 x 89.2 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Based on sketches Bouguereau made while summering in Brittany in the late 1860s, this picture was completed in the artist’s studio in 1871. His young models, posed in traditional Breton costumes, epitomize the ideal of virtuous and attractive peasants living a simple life in close contact with nature. This type of scene was quickly snapped up by American collectors, earning Bouguereau fame and fortune. As one critic explained, “Whoever gets a picture by [him] gets the full worth of his money, in finished painting, first-rate drawing, and a subject and treatment that no well-bred person can … fault.” (MET)