Inspiration 1898

William Bouguereau painted this image of a woman holding a writing tablet in the late 19th Century. Bouguereau was a pillar of the French academic painting tradition, dedicated to an ideal of beauty rooted in classical antiquity. The image is laden with visual and historical codes. The woman wears a classical-style robe and leans against a marble column, yet her gaze is modern and determined. Inspiration suggests the ennobling possibilities of art, a concept central to the French academy. But, by depicting a woman in the role of artist, the image implicitly acknowledges the changing social role of women in the late 1800s. To fully understand this work, the historian consults exhibition records, biographies, and critical reviews. We ask, what did 'Inspiration' mean to its original audience, and how does it speak to us today? The meaning of art shifts with its social and institutional context.