Dream of Spring

William-Adolphe Bouguereau produced Rêve de printemps, which translates as Dream of Spring, in 1901

The composition is typical of Bouguereau, who was an artist who rarely strayed from his successful formula of outdoor portraits of young women and girls, sometimes by themselves, sometimes with others.

Dream of Spring is an allegory of spring itself. You will find a young woman perched on a fountain at the back of a beautiful garden. Three playful cupids attempt to crown her with a wreath of spring flowers. Spring marks the escape from winter and also the start of flowers blooming and life returning.

It is the flowers that add brightness here and represents their importance to the season. Bouguereau's portraits would typically be dressed modestly and leave an innocent, pure finish. Art so commonly is used to portray political expressions that for some it can be refreshing to see the simplicity of artists like Bouguereau.

Cherubs will always add a combination of fun and affection and are perfectly suited to this artist's style. It is unsurprising, therefore, that they would appear in so many of his paintings.

The original artwork, which is sized at 190 cm × 130 cm (73 in × 50 in), can now be found in the Indianapolis Museum of Art in the USA. That particular venue holds other significant artwork from across many periods of art history, including contributions from the likes of J. M. W. Turner and Paul Gauguin. There is also an excellent collection of Japanese art.