Fraternal Love

Fraternal Love is one among the many paintings Bouguereau created that touch on the somehow controversial subject of love.

However, in this particular picture, he brings family love to the fore. A mother is looking on as her two children, one older and the other younger, express brotherly love through a kiss.

They don't seem to have much but can take refuge in the bond that ties them together. Even though the father figure is missing, the artist appears to value the idea of family unity and togetherness, even in the absence of material wealth.

This painting seems to point to Bouguereau's fascination with the ladies. Having created other works depicting naked females, this image serves to strengthen his obsession with the femnale species.

It is apparent that a family can be complete without the man. The three members of the family in the drawing seem to be contented with the status quo.

Fraternal Love seems to have borrowed its concept from the Bible. The Christian faith prescribes love to all as its principal bedrock. The lady on the canvass appears to resemble the Biblical depiction of May, mother of Jesus. The artist may have borrowed his themes heavily from the Holy Book.

Fraternal Love is one of the paintings that define the style of William-Adolphe Bouguereau. His fascination with women, the concept of love, and the Bible are apparent in this painting.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, a French painter of the late 18th century, created the famous painting, Fraternal Love.

This painting, just as many of his other works of art, reflect his passion for the realism movement that had long been overtaken by time.

Nevertheless, he still stuck to classical works and portrayed biblically fabled themes in a refreshing style. Fraternal Love is one such work of art that is full of modern metaphorical understanding. Here is relevant information about this painting:

Bouguereau painted this picture in 1841. Although the realism era had long gone, he chose to stick to the subject of classical works by depicting a mother and her two children in their most basic form. The kids are completely naked, and the mother is sitting on a raised platform out in the open. The mother is bare-footed and has this look of purity about her – like the image of the biblical Mary, mother of Jesus.