Madonna with child and John the Baptist 1875

William Bouguereau created this painting, Madonna with Child and John the Baptist, using oil on canvas. The artist has masterfully employed the medium to create a photorealistic depiction of skin. Painted with incredible precision, the figures are arranged in a classical pyramidal composition reminiscent of Renaissance art. Bouguereau's technique involved layering thin glazes of oil paint to achieve a smooth, luminous surface, almost like porcelain. This approach demanded a high level of technical skill and countless hours of labor. The intense realism and attention to detail, typical of academic painting, required rigorous training and the suppression of any visible brushwork, an artistic skill attained through years of dedicated learning. By engaging with the tradition of painting religious subjects, Bouguereau participated in a market-driven system where technically skilled artists catered to the tastes of the bourgeoisie, a way of making that maintained a distinction between "high art" and craft.