Far from Home

Painted in the year 1874, Far From Home is a hand-painted oil painting by the noted French academic painter, William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

The painting depicts two girls standing beside what seems to be a fountain outside a lavish mansion. The two girls appear to be sisters, wherein the elder one is holding a violin in her hand.

The younger girl of the two is barefoot and both of them have a forlorn expression on their faces while gazing into the distance.

The name ‘Far from Home’ probably explains the reason why the girls look the way they do in the painting. There is a certain mix of innocence and sadness in the painting which is quite captivating.

The original title of the painting is ‘Loin du pays’ which is French for ‘Far from Home’. The painting is from a private collection of the artist and is done in a portrait style.

What’s impressive about this neoclassicism style painting is not just the double portraits of the female but the fact that they look very life-like.

This is of course expected of Bouguereau who is one of the greatest artistic geniuses in the history of mankind. While centuries may have gone by but this painting stays relevant even in today’s times and is often printed and sold to people who wish to adorn their homes or offices with tasteful paintings.

William Bouguereau is one of the best artists of his time. He excelled at capturing the soul of the youth in his paintings. The very soul and spirits of his subjects in the painting is probably similar to those done by Rembrandt, a Dutch painter. His figures come to life as he was the best when it came to painting human anatomy.

In fact, no other artists of his time could achieve the kind of accuracy and realistic portrayal of human figures in paintings. Needless to say, Bouguereau was adept at capturing even the subtlest nuances of his subjects’ moods and personalities.

Apart from his skills in painting, Bouguereau is also remembered for single-handedly opening French academies to women. His reputation was unmatched and his accomplishments unparalleled.

He devoted his life to creating art which was a class apart, like the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or the works of Leonardo da Vinci. Today, there are more than a hundred museums around the world which exhibit his work.