The Horseback Rider - William Adolphe Bouguereau Critique #2

Artist: William Adolphe Bouguereau

Title: The Horseback Rider

Country: France

Medium: Oil on Canvas

With the current day in age being so stressful due to economic problems, war, government, and jobs, people tend to forget the peace and harmony of the simple things in life. The things that you don't need to spend money on to have them, they are just good moments that you can enjoy by yourself or with others. The simple things such as playing with a friend in contact with the beauty of nature, as shown in the painting, The Horseback Rider, by William Adolphe Bouguereau.

William Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter. He was a traditionalist and his almost photo-realistic style was very popular with rich art patrons. In the painting “The Horseback Rider” William Adolphe Bouguereau uses background and foreground, movement and cool colors to express the join and innocence of childhood.

The background shows the beauty of nature, the sun is shining and a viewer can see the distance between the green place and the city, which is briefly shown behind the trees. It gives perspective to the painting. The foreground shows two girls playing one on the others back. Both children are dressed in peasants clothing, showing that despite their lack of money and social status, they still can, and are experiencing great joy in their lives.

The Horseback Rider also shows movement. The one girl is willing to support the other, and her smile indicates the willingness and joy she takes in the task. The girl on top, though perhaps a bit nervous, trusts in the other not to drop her.  

Oil on canvas is the medium of the painting. Cool colors such as blue and green help a viewer to see a moment of harmony and enjoyment, in contact with the beauty of nature. The facial expressions were also painted carefully. One girl is really enjoying the game, and the other one, who is sitting on the back of the smiling girl, shows that perhaps there is not as much joy in it as there once was. This could indicate that she is growing up and leaving her childhood behind her.

William Adolphe Bouguereau succeeded using foreground and background, movement and cool colors to create a painting that attracts the viewer not only for its beauty and harmony, but also because of its true meaning. Many people forget how important is to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, even more in childhood, a season that goes fast and leave memories forever.