Shop art print and framed art Les Oréades by William Bouguereau

The Oreads (French: Les Oréades) is an oil painting by the French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau, painted in 1902. Its dimensions are 236 × 182 cm.[citation needed] In 2009 the descendants of the artist donated the artwork to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it is now exhibited. The Oreads is a mythological painting and it is one of Bouguereau's best-known works. The painting includes many nude females, a characteristic seen in many of Bouguereau's artworks. It is painted in a Neoclassical style which features mythological Roman and Greek nymphs and satyrs. The Oreads is named after the nymph of the mountains, the Oreads, also known as Orestiads. In Greek mythology, these creatures are led by the Greek Moon goddess of the hunt named Artemis, one of the most venerated ancient Greek deities. In ancient Rome she was known as Diana. Artemis or Diana prefers to stay on the mountainside; that is the reason the Oreads are always her companion. Oreads are lively creatures who hunt wild animals such as boar and birds with their arrows. Under Diana's guidance, the Oreads line themselves behind her in a luminous form. The painting shows the Oreads ascending into the sky while three satyrs watch them, seemingly mystified at the sight. A commentary for the title of the painting quotes:; In this painting, Bouguereau expresses his attachment to his traditional and academic artwork. Another of his artworks, entitled The Assault, is in the same style as The Oreads, where the artist [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the modern period. It belongs to the neoclassicism style.

 

« Les Oréades » is kept at Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France.

 

Find the full description of Les Oréades by William Bouguereau on Wikipedia.