Portret van William-Adolphe Bouguereau before 1876

This anonymous portrait of William-Adolphe Bouguereau is a print of notable height and width. The artwork is structured around a photograph of Bouguereau set within a framed, constructed mise-en-scène. The subject, framed in the photo, is further contextualized by symbolic objects: art supplies and a classical bust. These motifs act as signs, essential to interpreting Bouguereau's identity as an academic painter steeped in historical and classical traditions. The artist’s tools, palette, and the bust, create a semiotic network pointing to Bouguereau’s artistic practice. The composition reflects the values of its time, framing artists within the context of their work and inspirations. It represents more than a likeness; it encapsulates Bouguereau’s constructed persona, an identity carefully framed to align with specific cultural and artistic values. It invites us to consider how identity itself is a construct, mediated through both personal representation and cultural symbolism.