Evening Mood

The Evening Mood is a 1882 painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The painting media is oil on canvas and measures 108.0 x 207.5 centimeters.

The painting current location is the National Museum of Art, Havana, Cuba. The painting depicts a woman who is almost naked with a veil over her back and her legs partly hiding her lower private parts.

Bouguereau created many painting and Evening Mood is one of his greatest accomplishments in his painting career. The painting depicts the lady standing on a rock on the beach.

The artist used dark colors on the clouds in the background to show the fading sunlight and moon appearing on the horizon to depict the evening mood. In this painting, like many other painters during his time, he made a careful study of technique and form to come up with a classical painting and sculpture.

This painting was carefully designed so that the viewer can read the artist message quickly.

The use of sun setting in the background and the veil over the lady clearly brings out the themes that Bouguereau wanted the viewer to see in the Evening mood painting. The use of dark and cool colors helped to add more taste to the painting. Bouguereau used the beach scenery to bring out the mood of relaxation and enjoyment in the painting.

The lady in the painting was drawn in the position of a person who wants to sleep partly hiding her left side of the face. The artist used bright and warm color to paint her body to depict her beauty and her moods.

Therefore, the several combinations and use of different color gave this painting a rich context. Bouguereau also included water in the painting to depict the relaxing evening mood after one had a good time with water in the sea. The veil can also be seen being blown softly by the wind bringing in a soothing feeling.

This painting is one of his many secular and sexual works. In this painting, Bouguereau incorporated many themes he got from mythology such as the cupid who was depicted in the form of Bacchus. He also followed the fascination of many art lovers and artists that is of nude female paintings. He used the French salon traditions that allowed display of love for females but only in the acceptable manner like mythology.

Idealized form and deep depth of emotion characterize the classical work in the Evening mood painting. Bouguereau utilized his artistic techniques and skills to put together this exquisite almost nude painting, using subtle brush strokes and rich color by use of hands. He passed several stages to put together this painting. He first studied and later painted using past tradition techniques.

He first did a quick sketch that established the main painting composition. Then he did a highly finished painting of all the figures depicted in the painting. After he was through with the drawing process, he made oil finishes off the head, hands and other relevant elements in the painting.

Finally, a full-scale drawing was then composed to make sure there were proper placements of all elements. After he had done these steps, then he proceeded to the actual finishing of the Evening Mood painting.

The main theme and message that Bouguereau wanted the viewer to see in this painting is romance and the importance of appreciating a woman beauty.

The painting shows women can display the best Evening mood through their beauty and relaxing posture on a cool evening on the beach. The painting also depicts how human beauty can blend well with the nature as the artist used the sun, sea, clouds beach rocks and sands to bring the feeling of nature in the Evening Mood painting.