William Bouguereau, Orestes pursued by the Furies - by Atelier Liesjes

In this scene from an ancient Greek tragedy, Orestes avenges his father by killing his own mother. Even before her body hits the ground, the mythological spirits of revenge, known as the Furies, have overwhelmed the guilty son. By contrasting Orestes' naked body with the hideous trio that swarmed around him, William Bouguereau set the bar for academic painters of the late 19th century. His use of classical figures to animate strikingly dramatic scenes earned him both commercial success and critical recognition as the grand master of the French art establishment.

Orestes is a figure from Greek mythology. He is the son of Agamemnon and Clytaimnestra and the brother of Elektra, Chrysothemis and Iphigenia. He married Hermione, daughter of his uncle Menelaus.

Orestes is a victim of fate to which he himself can do nothing to change.

The Erinyes are figures from Greek mythology. They are goddesses of revenge, and pursued and tormented those who had done something wrong. The Erinyes lived in the underworld and came to earth when a criminal needed to be punished with their vengeance. In Latin they were called Furiae - or Dirae - (the terrible ones), and in Dutch Furiën.

Adolphe Williams Bouguereau (La Rochelle, November 30, 1825 - there, August 19, 1905) was a French academic painter. He is best known as William Bouguereau, the name by which he signed his works. He achieved the most success with his academic nudes, but was also criticized for those works.