William Bouguereau was well loved for his generosity and kind heart. He was always willing to help bright students and misguided youth. The models/prostitutes that he employed referred to him as "Sweet Willie". " According to his biographer, Mary Schell Hoke Bacon, "All Bouguereau's opportunities in life were made by himself, by his own genius. No one gave him anything; he earned all. He longed to go to Italy, and in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts he won the Prix de Rome, which made possible a journey to the land of great artists. The French Government began to buy his work, and he began to receive commissions to decorate walls in great buildings; thus, gradually, he made for himself fame and fortune."

William Bouguereau Quotations

To paint is to create. And to create is an act of trueness, and passion. -- William Bouguereau

When will the day come when I can do something worthy of a grown man? How many things must I yet learn before reaching that stage! -- William Bouguereau

One has to seek Beauty and Truth, Sir! As I always say to my pupils, you have to work to the finish. There's only one kind of painting. It is the painting that presents the eye with perfection, the kind of beautiful and impeccable enamel you find in Veronese and Titian. -- William Bouguereau

Each day I go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because of darkness I can scarcely wait for the morning to come...My work is not only a pleasure, it has become a necessity. No matter how many other things I have in my life, if I cannot give myself to my dear painting I am miserable." --William Bouguereau

William Bouguereau Biography and things you probably didn't know..

Adolphe-William Bouguereau was born in the picturesque French village of La Rochelle in 1825

 Bouguereau' s family financial problems and hardships forced the young William to work at a variety of full time jobs while attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Often friends would spy the the worn-out painter toiling away all night on a painting and then without even an hour of sleep go to work at the local wine merchant shop.

At the age of 26, Adolphe-William Bouguereau was awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1851 with his magnificent romantic masterpiece Baudry.

Bouguereau enjoyed many honors during his long artistic career including President of the Legion of Honor, President of the French Academy and Head of the Salon.