OIL PAINTING: A Dream of Spring, 1901
To some, Bouguereau's flawless technique, graceful compositions, and poignant portraits make him one of the most accomplished artists of his age. To others, Bouguereau represents everything negative about 19th-century academic art, with its stock characters, syrupy emotion, and social and artistic conservatism. "You either like Bouguereau or you think he's the most abhorrent artist who ever lived," says paintings curator Scott Schaefer.